ِAl-Qurayyat Chamber

ِAl-Qurayyat Chamber, or al-Qurayyat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is a non-profit entity aimed at developing commercial activities across various sectors, representing them to ministries, agencies, and public institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and working to protect and develop them in al-Qurayyat Governorate.

Al-Qurayyat Chamber is one of two commercial and industrial chambers in al-Jawf Province and one of twenty-eight commercial and industrial chambers in the Kingdom. It is also a member of the Federation of Saudi Chambers.

Al-Qurayyat Chamber was established based on a ministerial decision issued in 1988, following a request from Sultan Bin Abdulaziz al-Sudairy, the then Inspector of the Western Borders and Emir of al-Qurayyat Region. The establishment of the chamber was due to the strategic importance of its location as a border area and a transit route for neighboring countries, along with the available services and resources that necessitated the formation of a chamber to provide services to businessmen in the area, promoting its development and growth. Hamad Salem al-Qabsani was the first chairman of the chamber's board of directors.

The chamber enjoys a legal personality and financial and administrative independence. It operates under the Ministry of Commerce and comprises a general assembly, a board of directors, and a general secretariat.

The chamber supports the private sector and represents it in the Ministry of Commerce and government agencies. It acts as a liaison between businessmen and the ministry, providing them with regulations and decisions, conveying their suggestions, and sharing investment and business-related information and data with relevant authorities. Additionally, the chamber supports companies and factories, offers advice and facilitation for startups, authenticates transactions, issues and verifies company certificates, and publishes economic magazines and newsletters.

In 2022, the Governor of al-Jawf launched the new identity of al-Qurayyat Chamber, aiming to enhance the chamber's media presence across various activities, bolster its economic impact, and actively contribute to serving the governorate, thereby improving the level of services provided to businesspeople.

Al-Qurayyat Chamber offers various services to its members and beneficiaries, supported by its administrative and organizational structure, which includes several departments and sections. These departments include the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Department, Information and Systems Department, Committees Department, Training and Administrative Development Department, Public Relations, Media, and Exhibitions Department, and Membership and Documentation Department.

The chamber works on resolving commercial disputes through arbitration, examines traders' issues to present them to the relevant authorities, organizes exhibitions and training centers to prepare human resources and support national products, and enhances the role of businesswomen through the support provided by the women's section of the chamber.

The chamber also works on developing its services provided to businessmen, increasing the number of members, and achieving financial sustainability by increasing and developing its financial resources to serve its goals and strategic plans.

Al-Qurayyat Chamber has a board of directors formed every four years, with its members appointed by the Minister of Commerce. The number of members should not exceed eighteen, and no more than one member can represent a single commercial establishment. Additionally, a member cannot run for more than two consecutive terms, with a term being considered complete if it exceeds two years.

The board of directors of al-Qurayyat Chamber meets at least once every two months (sixty days) upon the invitation of the board's chairman. An emergency meeting can be called at any time if necessary, and the invitation must include the meeting agenda.

The Board of al-Qurayyat Chamber is responsible for appointing the chamber's secretary-general and terminating their services. Additionally, the board forms sectoral committees and internal committees, delegating them as deemed appropriate.

The Board of Directors is also responsible for approving the chamber's general policies, developing plans, programs, and projects that facilitate its duties, and reviewing drafts of administrative and financial regulations, employee regulations, governance regulations, and training and scholarship regulations, before presenting them to the general assembly for approval.

The board of directors manages the fixed and movable assets of al-Qurayyat Chamber, and represents it in leasing, litigation, borrowing, and acceptance of donations. It also monitors the chamber's performance and quarterly reports, reviews the annual report, final account, and draft budget for approval, and presents them to the general assembly for endorsement, providing the Ministry of Commerce with a copy of all documents.