Local Content Forum

The Local Content Forum is an annual forum led by the Local Content and Government Procurement Authority (LCGPA). It aims to promote a culture of local content, solidify its concept, raise awareness of methodologies for measuring and increasing it, foster collaboration between the public and private sectors, and highlight investment opportunities and benefits.

The forum is one of the strategic initiatives of the authority aimed at strengthening the partnership between the public and private sectors. It achieves this by showcasing opportunities that contribute to the development of local content and raising awareness about its mechanisms and enablers among government and private entities.

The Local Content Forum has identified several objectives, including establishing a centralized platform to provide investment opportunities by attracting local and international investors and signing agreements. It also aims to highlight success stories related to increasing and developing local content, thereby raising awareness of the concept of local content. Additionally, the forum seeks to attract global best practices, transfer knowledge, and support building partnerships between large companies and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The LCGPA launched the first edition of the Local Content Forum on September 5, 2022, with the participation of several government entities and major private sector companies. The event served as a unified platform to showcase local content initiatives and activities, foster collaboration between the public and private sectors, and enhance strategic partnerships.

During its first edition, the forum witnessed the launch of Maaden’s local content program, "Tharwah." The program aims to harness resources, talents, and wealth to enrich Saudi society and the economy by enhancing the mining sector's contribution to the national economy in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030.

More than forty-five entities from the public and private sectors participated in the forum, with over nine hundred attendees from various fields of interest. To support the growth and development of local content across several sectors, twenty cooperation agreements were signed, and two hundred local investment opportunities were presented to enhance and develop local content.

The first edition of the forum focused on knowledge transfer regarding methods and practices for developing local content and highlighting its significant impact on the gross domestic product (GDP) in non-oil sectors. It also aimed to increase non-oil exports at the national economic level and enhance the benefits for the private sector by boosting its contribution to local content growth.

The participation of major national companies with prior experience in developing local content in the forum provided a significant opportunity to showcase success stories and attract global best practices.

The second edition of the forum was held from November 20 to 22, 2024, in the capital, Riyadh, under the theme "Partnerships for Sustainable Development," with participation from both the public and private sectors.

The Local Content Forum 2024 witnessed the launch of the "Made in Saudi - Gold Category" label, aimed at directing the purchasing power of individuals towards local products and services that contribute to local content. Additionally, forty-six workshops were conducted on the sidelines of the forum, with 340 participants in attendance. The forum’s activities also included the signing of numerous agreements by the LCGPA, including twenty-five agreements for localizing industries and transferring knowledge across several key sectors in Saudi Arabia.

The forum also hosted nine panel discussions that addressed the future directions of local content under Saudi Vision 2030. The discussions highlighted the significance of local content in sectors such as industry, energy, health, logistics, digital transformation, water, the integration of governmental efforts to enhance local content, and the role of major national companies in advancing the local content agenda.