BORIS Ruge, German ambassador, visited recently the Dammam Energy Hub, the first gas turbine manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia and the biggest in the Middle East. The visit took place in the framework of the ambassador's tour through the Eastern Province. Other highlight of this tour was a reception for the German business community and their Saudi partners hosted by the ambassador at the Mövenpick Hotel in Al-Khobar. His visit of the Dammam Energy Hub honored the achievement of the ‘production readiness' phase. The Hub plans to present the very first ‘made in KSA' gas turbine by April 2016. The project is not only a tangible sign of an effective participation from a global company in developing the industry in the country, but also a commitment to enhance German knowledge transfer to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by providing opportunities and training to Saudi nationals locally and overseas. This is also the commitment of the German governmental and private sector. Germany is engaged in the industrialization process of the Kingdom since the establishment of the very first German companies in the first half of the 20th century. Germany has always been committed to training and developing of qualified Saudi nationals and to providing the national labor market with the best German knowledge, especially in Industry and Technology. Germany proudly looks back on a long-standing and close cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the field of technical and vocational training. Currently the parastatal GIZ is running the Technical Trainers College in Riyadh and in cooperation with Festo Didactics the College of Excellence in Ar'Rass Other German private companies are cooperating with companies such as e.g. Saudi Aramco. In order to intensify the before mentioned cooperation, Federal Foreign Minister Steinmeier made use of his visit to Riyadh in October to attend a round table on technical and vocational training with the Saudi and German players in this field. This meeting also served as a spin off for a steady Saudi-German dialogue on the subject. During his visit to the Dammam Energy Hub, Ambassador Ruge, underlined that "Siemens is a flagship example of what global companies can offer to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With over 85 years of history in the Kingdom, Siemens has been offering innovative solutions to develop the country's infrastructure and contribute to societal development."
