ABU DHABI — The Governor of the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) and Head of the Saudi delegation participating in the International Defense Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) Eng. Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz Al-Ohali inaugurated here Sunday the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's pavilion at IDEX 2021, under the slogan "Invest Saudi".

Led and organized by GAMI, the Saudi pavilion includes a number of major Saudi national institutions and companies specialized in the field of defense and security industries, with the participation of the Ministry of Investment. The exhibition will be held from Feb. 21 to 25 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Speaking at the first session of the first defense conference accompanying IDEX 2021 Saturday, Eng. Al-Ohali affirmed GAMI's endeavor to achieve the main goal of increasing localization in the sector by more than 50% of government spending on military services and equipment by 2030 and increase spending on military research and technology from 0.2% to 4%.

This is in addition to the sector’s pursuit, through its clear strategy, to support digital transformation in supply chains, especially since Saudi Arabia is at the heart of global supply chains, making it a compass for investment in the sector.

GAMI's Governor Eng. Al-Ohali said that Saudi Arabia's participation in IDEX represents a qualitative platform to develop the sector's industry by creating partnerships between players in the field, exchanging knowledge and expertise, and transferring technology.

He pointed out that that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia attaches the defense and national security sector a great priority, where the leadership directed towards localizing various industries in Saudi Arabia to be a source for enriching our national economy and a reason for its sustainable prosperity, hence the establishment of GAMI to be responsible for localizing, organizing and empowering the Saudi military industries sector.

Saudi companies will review latest products and equipment that the Saudi sector reached and discuss opportunities for quality partnerships with the most prominent players in the sector globally. The Saudi pavilion will include the signing of a number of MoUs and agreements between a number of local and international companies. — SPA