Riyadh – Mubasher: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Alfadley signed on Wednesday a consulting agreement with the Japanese Mizuho Bank for advisory services related to the private sector participation in the Kingdom’s water distribution sector.

Mizuho will lead an international consortium, including the technical consultant Atkins Company and the legal consultant White & Case Law Firm to procure management contracts, which will lay the foundations for the privatisation of the sector, according to an official statement.

“The Ministry is committed to its strategy and its supporting plans with the aim to achieve services sustainability and operational efficiency through involving the private sector in operational processes and management based on regional clusters,” Alfadley commented.

“The management contracts will transfer the operational and administrative responsibilities of distribution networks to the private sector, which will, in turn, contribute to the appropriate preparation of the sector and accelerate the performance improvement process,” the National Water Company’s CEO Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Mowkley concluded.