The National Prawn Company, Saudi Arabia’s first venture into onshore aquaculture, received high praise for the opportunity it presented for local employment during an official tour of the region by H.E. Iyad Madani, Deputy President of The King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Foundation for Housing Development and former Information Minster.
During a visit to Al Ghala Village to inspect 186 newly built housing units, Madani took time out for a special stop at the National Prawn Company, which employs the majority of the residents of the village.
Engineer Ahmad bin Rasheed Al Balaa, General Manager of NPC, welcomed the former minister and offered him a brief summary of the company’s achievements as they toured the various departments.
During the tour of the NPC facilities, Madani praised the happy cooperation between the public and private sectors, of which this ground-breaking venture was one example. “It is nice to see such cooperation in serving our society,” he commented. “On the one hand, the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Foundation provides housing for people and on the other, NPC offers them jobs.”
During the tour of NPC, Al Balaa also highlighted the company’s efforts to encourage female employment, such as the workshop for female employee training. Built under the patronage of the Governor of Mecca in early 2008 to the international standards of the coastal farming industry and under supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Foundation, it recently witnessed the graduation of the first two groups of qualified employees.
The all-female processing plant was built at a cost of SR5 million and currently employs 20 staff although the factory can accommodate up to 400 employees. Al Balaa felt that lack of local knowledge of this new industry reduced the number of women applying for jobs, however this was, he said, a matter the company was working to resolve in cooperation with the Foundation. “Our main goal from this cooperation is to develop the skills of women in a conservative atmosphere that fits our religious teachings and traditions. The main aim is to assist families get a better income and for society develop,” he said.
Madani also visited local residents as this visit fell within efforts of social development for the region and pointed out that The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques cared for all the citizens of Saudi Arabia.
