Jeddah — President of King Abdulaziz University Prof. Osama Tayyeb inaugurated the expansion of a fish farm facility at the university's Faculty of Marine Sciences in Obhur. He praised the project as he said it would allow students to gain practical experience to support their academic studies. He said: “It is an immense pleasure for us to see our youth receive practical experience in parallel with their academic studies.” The inauguration was attended by university representatives and Ahmed Bin Rashid Al-Ballaa, managing director of the National Prawn Company (NPC). The delegation toured all farm facilities, which include a shrimp hatchery, larvae unit, shrimp and fish cultivation ponds and algae unit, all of which have been upgraded under NPC's sponsorship. Tayyeb said: “King Abdulaziz University, especially the Faculty of Marine Sciences, gives great attention to aquaculture due to the economic revenues it generates for the nation, apart from the many job opportunities for our youth. “We are very pleased to collaborate with the National Prawn Company, which has pioneering experience in the field of aquaculture.” “We want to achieve our strategic vision of adding value to the national economy and we are also keen on developing Saudi youths in terms of scientific knowledge so they can become leaders in this sector.” Al-Ballaa said: “Such projects reflect genuine cooperation between the university and the industry, and the National Prawn Company is honored to have such an opportunity to collaborate with King Abdulaziz University.” He said NPC has been cooperating with academic organizations as a pioneer of the Kingdom's aquaculture industry because the company believes the development of Saudis is key to the success and long-term sustainability of the industry. Al-Ballaa said the partnership between NPC and the university is in line with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah's directive calling for close cooperation between the public and private sectors and bridge the gap between academic education and practical experience in the Kingdom. The aquaculture industry has seen remarkable developments during the past few years due to the government's efforts to strategically develop this sector, he said. Recent studies about the aquaculture industry reveal more than 400,000 job opportunities in the sector will be available by 2029 throughout the Kingdom, he claimed. — SG
