Saudi Arabia replaces CEO of futuristic mega-city NEOM

Saudi Arabia introduced Tuesday that it was changing the chief govt of its futuristic mega-city NEOM as scepticism mounts over the Gulf kingdom’s most formidable improvement tasks.

“Following the departure of Nadhmi al-Nasr”, who had served because the undertaking’s chief govt since 2018, “Aiman al-Mudaifer has been appointed as interim CEO”, NEOM mentioned in an announcement.

The corporate mentioned that Mudaifer introduced with him a “deep and strategic understanding of NEOM” after serving as head of a property arm of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund since 2018.

There was mounting scepticism over signature tasks resembling NEOM, a deliberate futuristic megacity in northwestern Saudi Arabia meant to characteristic a ski resort and twin skyscrapers 170 kilometres (105 miles) lengthy.

Authorities have reportedly scaled again 2030 dimension and inhabitants targets for NEOM, although officers haven’t confirmed any revisions.

Unveiling The Line in 2022, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the nation’s de facto chief, mentioned its inhabitants would exceed a million by 2030 earlier than climbing to 9 million by 2045.

Nonetheless, Bloomberg reported earlier this 12 months that below revised projections simply 300,000 folks can be dwelling in The Line by decade’s finish, and solely 2.4 kilometres of the undertaking can be accomplished by then.

Work on NEOM is progressing alongside different main improvement tasks launched as a part of Imaginative and prescient 2030, Prince Mohammed’s bid to place the world’s largest crude exporter for an eventual post-oil future.

Final 12 months the Gulf kingdom emerged as the one bidder to host the 2034 soccer World Cup, which means it now has a decade to construct the mandatory stadiums and enhance its lodging and transport capability.