Shareek Program Marks New Era for Saudi Private Sector

Published Date:

Aug 29, 2025

Last Updated :

Aug 12, 2025

A blog on everything about the Shareek program

Launched on March 30th, 2021, by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Shareek is a program designed specifically to support and help large-scale local, i.e., Saudi companies, to boost the growth of the private sector investments in the Kingdom and contribute to the greater development of the country.

“Shareek,” which translates to partner in Arabic, the program is also structured to benefit the whole economic dynamics of the Kingdom. This includes indirectly benefiting small and medium-sized businesses through its overall impact on the value chain, which increases investments from large companies.

On February 28th of 2023, Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet approved the transformation of the Shareek program into a centre named the Private Sector Partnership Reinforcement Center (Shareek).

Shareek Program Highlights

The key responsibilities of Shareek and its overall theme of the program are aligned with the values of Vision 2030. It will also become a crucial part of the Saudi National Investment Strategy and play a greater role in the broader economic development plan.

Shareek is overseen by a board that comprises several stakeholders. Plans are developed for liaison with 50 major companies listed on the Saudi stock market, amongst other private firms.

The program will also enhance the Kingdom’s appeal as a business-friendly destination, attracting FDIs (Foreign Direct Investments) seeking remunerative returns. The nature of the program complements other initiatives directed at FDIs such as the RHQ policy (Regional Headquarters Policy).

Shareek program will provide practical and accurate solutions and support to accelerate the growth of projects launched by large companies in the country. This support scheme is offered according to the investment board of each company and guidelines that determine which large companies qualify for assistance.

The program provides assistance mainly covering areas that include but are not limited to regulatory, financial, operational affairs, asset investment, building partnerships, and cooperation. It depends on the needs of each large-scale company to identify and solidify their vision and long-term investment ambitions.

Besides this, companies can also voluntarily participate in the plan, which is designed to achieve major benefits for these businesses.

Shareek program also offers direct financial support for large companies when deemed necessary. All loans and grants will be available based on negotiations.

Focused Sectors

Energy and Chemical Industries
Industry and Mineral Resources
Transport and Logistics Services
Healthcare
Telecommunication and Information Technology
Real Estate and Construction
Environment, Water, and Agriculture
Tourism and Quality of Life
Financial Services and Insurance

Business professionals, including an Arab man, warmly shaking hands in a corporate setting.

With the support of the Shareek Program, private sector investments will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and boost the private sector’s contribution to GDP, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 goals.

The Vision Behind the Shareek Program

The dynamic and high-impact Shareek program envisions achieving SAR 5 trillion of domestic private sector investments and helping the private sector contribute 65% to GDP by 2030.

The Shareek program, which aims to boost the Kingdom’s GDP ranking to 15th worldwide, will create hundreds of job opportunities, boosting overall economic growth. It will enable large companies to raise their investment targets by 50% above the current plans.

In March 2023, Shareek announced its first group of supported projects distributed among four sectors. These projects have helped to diversify industries, promote innovation, and create local jobs.

With the project investment size reaching 192 billion, the share of investments by major companies figures to 120 billion riyals. It is expected that the impact of these investments on the country’s GDP will reach approximately 466 billion riyals by 2040.

Conditions for Companies to Join the 'Shareek' Program

The Shareek program has established clear conditions for large companies to qualify for participation. This includes:

Demonstrating the company's ability to invest a minimum of SAR 10 billion over ten years
Having the intention to go public
Having a project size of at least SAR 200 million in capital expenditures

Currently, the Shareek program is exclusively open to major national private companies that own projects with a significant and influential impact on the country’s economy. This will continue to have a positive effect on both the private sector and SMEs by supporting their growth and development.

The program is expected to support international companies in securing opportunities for collaboration with the Saudi private sector and has the potential to benefit from new investment opportunities in the future.

Support programs for large companies are individually assessed by accounting for many key factors such as infrastructure development, capacity for job creation, and the overall company’s investment history.

Requests submitted by private companies through the banks are sent through a careful review process. If the request is accepted, a collaborative meeting is arranged between “Shareek” and the private companies.

In this meeting, companies will present their plans and proposals according to a predefined model. When a company is admitted to the program, the project details and incentive schemes are reviewed to ensure they are practical and appropriate in terms of the program’s eligibility conditions. The primary purpose of this review process is to verify the benefit scope of the proposed investment plan.

The Shareek Program is a groundbreaking initiative that fosters strong collaboration between the government and private sector, driving sustainable economic growth and unlocking new opportunities across Saudi Arabia.

Entities Involved in The 'Shareek' Program

The Private Sector Partnership Reinforcement Program, Shareek, involves multiple government entities to assess, review, and provide the incentives requested by participating companies. These entities include: