Majid bin Abdullah bin Osman Al Qasabi (; born 24 January 1960) is the Saudi Arabian

Minister of Commerce A Commerce minister (sometimes business minister, industry minister, trade minister or international trade minister) is a position in many governments that is responsible for regulating external trade and promoting economic growth (commercial poli ...

, having held the position since May 2016. He also served as the Acting Minister of Media from 25 February 2020 to 5 March 2023 and is a member of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs. Al Qasabi has held several prominent roles throughout his career, including serving as an advisor at the

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

's court from 2010 to 2011, as the head of special affairs for the Crown Prince from 2011 to 2014, and again as an advisor in the Crown Prince's court in 2014. Since 2015, Al-Qasabi has led four ministries, starting with the Ministry of Social Affairs, followed by the Ministry of Commerce and Investment (currently the

Ministry of Commerce A ministry of trade and industry, ministry of commerce, ministry of commerce and industry or variations is a ministry that is concerned with a nation's trade, industry and commerce. Notable examples are: List *Algeria: Ministry of Industry and ...

) in 2016. He was also tasked with overseeing the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (now the

Ministry of Municipalities and Housing Ministry of Municipalities and Housing () is a government ministry in Saudi Arabia that is responsible for the supervision and regulation of List of cities and towns in Saudi Arabia, municipalities in the country. Established in 1975, the current ...

) from December 2018 until February 2020, in addition to his role at the Ministry of Commerce. In February 2020, he was appointed as the Acting Minister of Media, a position he held until March 2023.

Early life and education

Majid Bin Abdullah Al Qasabi was born in

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

in 1959. His father Abdullah bin Othman Al Qasabi was a prominent Saudi real estate owner and businessman.من هو وزير التجارة والاستثمار الجديد ماجد القصبي؟
''Almowaten.net'', 8 May 2016 Majid Al Qasabi pursued his university education in the US, receiving a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1981 from the

University of Portland The University of Portland (UP) is a private Catholic university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1901 and is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross, which also founded UP's sister school, the University of Notre Da ...

. In 1982, he obtained a master's degree in civil engineering from

U.C. Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley ...

, followed by another master's degree in engineering management, and a PhD in engineering management from the University of Missouri–Rolla (now

Missouri University of Science and Technology Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T or S&T) is a public research university in Rolla, Missouri. It is a member institution of the University of Missouri System. Most of its 6,456 students (2023) study engineering, busin ...

), obtained in 1985.Lucien Zeigler

''Sustg.com'', 14 June 2016His Excellency Dr. Majid Bin Abdullah Al Qasabi
''Mci.gov.sa'' Al Qasabi taught between 1987 and 1998 as an assistant professor as the

King Abdulaziz University King Abdulaziz University (KAU) () is a public research university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1967 as a private university by a group of businessmen led by Muhammad Bakhashab and including author Hamza Bogary, it was named after ...

, in the Industrial Engineering Department.

Career

In 1998, Al Qasabi left the King Abdulaziz University to become Secretary General of the

Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (JCCI) is the chamber of commerce in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. JCCI is one of the oldest business and services organizations in Saudi Arabia. It was established by a royal decree dated January 19 ...

, a role which he held until 2002. In 2002, he served as director-general of the

Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation is a non-profit charity organization in Saudi Arabia set up and funded by former Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, Sultan in 1995. The foundation participates in proj ...

and became an advisor at the Crown Prince's Court in 2010, and president of Special Affairs for Crown Prince Sultan and his two successors between 2011 and 2014. Al Qasabi was named minister of social affairs of Saudi Arabia by royal decree on 29 January 2015. Within the first 100 days of his appointment, a center for studies and research called ''Nama'' (''growth'' in Arabic) was set up in

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

, to follow up on all initiatives carried out by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Acting minister of media

He was appointed by royal decree on 25 February 2020 as acting minister of media replacing Turki Al Shabana in the post.

Minister of commerce and investment

Al Qasabi was appointed as minister of commerce and investment on 7 May 2016 via royal decree, replacing Tawfig Al Rabiah in the post. Leading the ministry, Al Qasabi is in charge of implementing structural reform in line with Saudi Arabia's national plan Vision 2030. Accordingly, the nation's foreign investment license provider, The

Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority The Ministry of Investment (MISA) (), (previously the ''Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority SAGIA'' ), is a Saudi Arabian government ministry that oversees foreign investment in the country by issuing licenses to foreign investors. It wa ...

(SAGIA) was built into the ministry of commerce and investment.Providing the tools
''Thebusinessyear.com'', 2017 In 2016, the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises was established, and held its first board of directors' meeting in November 2016. The authority was established by the

Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...

and headed by Al Qasabi.Small And Medium Enterprises Authority Holds Its First Board Of Directors Meeting
''Mci.gov.sa'', 11 December 2016 Under his leadership, Saudi Arabia allowed full ownership by foreign investors in firms belonging to the health and education sectors in the country, as well as the engineering services companies.

Other responsibilities

*Member of the boards of several major Saudi charities *Member of the Council of the Saudi Ports Authority Management *Member of the High Commission for the Development of Ha’il *Member of the Centennial Fund *Member of the

Council of Economic and Development Affairs (Saudi Arabia) The Saudi Council of Economic and Development Affairs is one of two subcabinets of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was established by Salman of Saudi Arabia, King Salman to replace the Supreme Economic Council of Saudi Arabia, Supreme Economic Coun ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qasabi, Majid Abdullah 20th-century Saudi Arabian engineers 21st-century Saudi Arabian engineers 21st-century Saudi Arabian politicians 1959 births Information ministers of Saudi Arabia Social affairs ministers of Saudi Arabia Commerce ministers of Saudi Arabia Municipal affairs ministers of Saudi Arabia Investment ministers of Saudi Arabia Academic staff of King Abdulaziz University Living people Missouri University of Science and Technology alumni People from Jeddah University of Portland alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni Saudi Arabian civil engineers