DUBAI: Post-pandemic inflation, raising capital, and the growing popularity of special purpose acquisition companies are among the topics set to be discussed by business leaders on the second day of the Top CEO Forum in Dubai.

The second day of the event comes after the an opening salvo which saw leading Arab businesswomen and industry stalwarts discuss challenges and the role of women in driving the global economy.   

Other topics pencilled in for day two include include digitization, blockchain and metaverse. 

Education helping Vision 2030

Education, reskilling and upskilling are driving Saudi Arabia’s future growth as the country currently focuses more on the development of the non-oil sectors, said Sarah Al-Tamimi, deputy president of Human Rights Commission. 

Al-Tamimi noted that the human capital development program in Saudi Arabia looks at society as a whole, and it aims to create skilled employees for the future. 

Inflation on the rise

The issue of inflation increasing across the global is a recurrent theme in the forum. Sélim Chidiac, CEO of L’azurde Co. for Jewelry, said inflation is a long-term issue and a short-term solution is not sufficient enough to combat this problem.

Chidiac pointed out that consumers who reach the stores are thoroughly checking the prices of different retailers before making the buying decision. 

Mega projects

Arab News reporters at the event are live-tweeting through some of the sessions. Here’s a thread from a session on mega projects.

Path of transformation

Saudi Arabia is currently going through a huge transformation when it comes to women’s inclusion, according to Mohammed H A Abudawood, executive chairman of M Abudawood Group.

The business leader suggested people across the world are not realizing the trajectory of change in Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom is now opening up in terms of diversification.

Creative financing 

Banks are hesitant to provide funds for creative media ideas, said Mohamed Khammas, CEO of Al Ahli Holding Group. 

He noted that the Middle East region lacks a collaborative effort between banking systems and creative projects. 

Venture Rising

The average size of venture capital investment in the UAE has tripled since 2016, according to Ahmad Belhoul Al-Falasi, UAE’s Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs.

While speaking at the forum in Dubai, Al-Falasi revealed that the foundation of entrepreneurship is about having access to talent, and the UAE is the best place to tap talent as the country has “always been the labor market of choice in the region.”