The Arab Contractors Union participated in the “Builders of Egypt” forum, which launched its 9th edition in September 2024 with the participation of Arab and African delegations, as well as the presence of the President and Secretary-General of the Union, alongside the heads of contractors’ organizations from Arab countries.
The forum hosted several international financing institutions that play a key role in supporting development projects and implementing countries’ strategies to achieve the aspirations of their people for a better future. Notable among them were the Islamic Development Bank, the African Development Bank, and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa.
During one of the conference sessions, speeches were delivered by Ali Snafi, President of the Arab Contractors Union and President of the Iraqi Contractors Union, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Ajlan, Chairman of the Saudi Contractors Authority, Zakaria bin Abdulrahman Al-Abd Al-Qader, President of the Union of Contractors of Islamic Countries, and Tawfiq Oz, Vice President of the Turkish Contractors Union. The session was moderated by Engineer Hassan Abdel Aziz, President of the African Union of Construction Contractors.
Regarding the qualifications of companies operating in the Saudi market, Mr. Mohammed bin Al-Ajlan explained that the Kingdom seeks outstanding companies with flexibility in geographical expansion and advanced project management systems. He noted that there are a large number of infrastructure projects, such as airport expansions and the construction of Mohammed bin Salman’s tombs. He also pointed out that the Saudi market requires a significant number of large residential units.
He mentioned that Saudi Arabia has the 2030 Expo and the 2034 World Cup, in addition to the creation of new sports cities and increasing the capacity of some existing stadiums, as well as economic cities like Neom, which focuses on sustainability and features various qualitative projects.
For his part, Mr. Ali Snafi, President of the Arab Contractors Union and President of the Iraqi Contractors Union, stated that the Iraqi government allocates between $10 billion and $15 billion annually for reconstruction projects in the country.
He added that the Iraqi market is open to Egyptian and Arab companies wishing to operate in Baghdad, and there is potential for partnerships with various companies to enter the Iraqi market in the near future.
He also noted that Iraq has not canceled the oil-for-reconstruction initiative but has transferred the projects initially planned under this initiative to the Iraqi national budget on a “cash payment” basis due to the complex processes involved in completing oil-for-reconstruction projects.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tawfiq Oz, Vice President of the Turkish Contractors Union, said that Turkey ranks second in the world in exporting contracting services. He emphasized that allowing private sector companies to invest has enabled them to expand globally and secure a significant volume of projects in various countries across Africa, Europe, and other continents.
Oz highlighted that Turkey has contracts worth $500 billion for executing various projects through a large group of companies, with approximately 95% of these companies being part of the Turkish Union. He also pointed out that Turkey is one of the oldest countries in the field of contracting in Libya and other markets, and is fully ready to cooperate with Egypt in various areas of mutual interest.
