Minister of Industry, Canadian Ministers Discuss Innovation, Smart Industrial Cities

In bilateral meetings with Canadian government ministers, visiting Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef discussed ways to bolster industrial and mining cooperation between the two countries, opportunities for developing industrial innovation, and building an effective partnership to establish smart industrial cities in the Kingdom by leveraging Canadian expertise. During his meeting with Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne, and accompanied by National Industrial Development Center Chief Executive Saleh AlSulami, Alkhorayef underscored the Kingdom's commitment to benefiting from the applications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, to develop the industrial sector and create added value, while improving production efficiency in industrial facilities. Meeting participants discussed enhancing cooperation in the field of industrial digitization, utilizing AI technologies to improve indus trial processes, and exploring opportunities for collaboration in building smart industrial cities in the Kingdom, benefiting from Canadian advancements in digital infrastructure. The two sides also discussed collaboration between the Kingdom and Canada in the field of innovation, including the partnership between the Saudi Ministry of Education and Metax, a Canadian research organization funded by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Industry with a focus on providing joint research opportunities for graduate and doctoral students in both countries. During a meeting with Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen, Alkhorayef discussed ways to enhance economic relations and non-oil trade between the two countries, given the fact that the Kingdom is the largest trading partner for Canada in the Middle East and North Africa. The ministers reviewed the role of industrial development globally in advancing communities, increasing their well-being, and improving individuals' living standards. A lkhorayef and Canada's Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MIHR) executive director Ryan Montpellier discussed opportunities to benefit from council's expertise in workforce human capabilities development strategies in the mining sector. The meetings held by the minister of industry and mineral resources with Canadian ministers are part of his official visit to Canada, aimed at strengthening industrial and mining cooperation between the two countries, exploring mutual opportunities in both sectors, and attracting foreign investments to the Kingdom. Source: Saudi Press Agency