Future Minerals Forum Centers of Excellence Report

Saudi Arabia is positioning workforce development as a core pillar of its mining agenda, and the Future Minerals Forum (FMF) has become a focal point for that effort. Launched in 2022, FMF has rapidly evolved into a premier gathering that brings together senior government officials, industry leaders, NGOs, academia, trade associations, and stakeholders across the mineral value chain. The forum’s ministerial sessions are framed around building resilient, responsible mineral supply chains that support global development and create opportunities for young people across both supplier and consumer nations. In Riyadh, ministers and vice ministers have also highlighted work on transparency and traceability, alongside standards intended to “reflect our reality.”

Within that broader push, the Future Minerals Forum Centers of Excellence are emerging as a practical engine for capability building. Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Mining Affairs, Khalid Al-Mudaifer, pointed to a network of centers focused on talent development, sustainability practices, and technology enablement. He also referenced progress on capacity building through three centers of excellence in Morocco, South Africa, and Riyadh. The ministerial roundtable process behind these initiatives has drawn on international input, with more than 130 experts from 42 countries contributing so far. Saudi Arabia has also emphasized international collaboration to build what it describes as a resilient, responsible, and future-ready global mining ecosystem.

From Forum Commitments to Formal Training Pathways

One of the clearest examples of turning FMF intent into a training pipeline is the Saudi School of Mines. The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, along with King Abdulaziz University, signed a collaboration agreement to found the school, announced at the fifth edition of the Future Minerals Forum in the presence of Minister Bandar Alkhorayef and Minister of Education Yousef Al-Benyan. The initiative is designed to elevate the university’s Faculty of Earth Sciences and Department of Mining Engineering into a leading global academic and research institution. Representatives for the signing included Eng. Khalid Al-Mudaifer and Dr. Tareef Alaama, President of King Abdulaziz University, signaling a strong link between policy direction and academic implementation.

The agreement sets an explicit ambition: to establish the Saudi School of Mines as one of the world’s top five institutions in earth sciences and mining by engaging a global academic partner to share expertise and localize knowledge. It also includes restructuring bachelor’s and graduate programs to better align with a rapidly changing labor market and to close the gap between academic outcomes and industry demands. This focus on fit-for-purpose curricula connects to a broader reality highlighted in sector commentary: Saudi Arabia’s mining workforce needs development, and the sector has limited historical depth in the Kingdom. With mining development timelines described as inherently long, with exploration-to-production cycles spanning 5-15 years, building talent now becomes a strategic necessity.

FMF’s capacity-building story is also supported by tools meant to benchmark progress and guide investment decisions. Saudi Arabia has launched the Future Minerals Barometer, developed through extensive stakeholder consultation, to track progress across key enablers and serve as a blueprint for building resilient mineral value chains. Al-Mudaifer described it as the first global effort to benchmark readiness of critical mineral ecosystems amid surging demand tied to electric mobility, renewable energy, digital infrastructure, and defense applications. Separately, FMF programming has included a Centers of Excellence and Technology meeting, positioning research and innovation alongside training as part of the same workforce readiness agenda.

What are the Future Minerals Forum Centers of Excellence designed to do?

Saudi officials have described a network of centers of excellence focused on talent development, sustainability practices, and technology enablement. Progress on capacity building has been cited through three centers in Morocco, South Africa, and Riyadh.

What is the Saudi School of Mines and who is involved?

It is a new school being founded through a collaboration agreement between Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and King Abdulaziz University. The signing was represented by Eng. Khalid Al-Mudaifer and Dr. Tareef Alaama.

What global goal has Saudi Arabia set for the Saudi School of Mines?

The agreement aims to establish the school as one of the world’s top five institutions in earth sciences and mining. It plans to do this by engaging a global academic partner to share expertise and localize knowledge.

How does Saudi Arabia plan to align mining education with industry needs?

The initiative includes restructuring bachelor’s and graduate programs to better match a rapidly changing labor market. The goal is to close the gap between academic outcomes and industry demands.

What is the Future Minerals Barometer meant to track?

It is intended to benchmark the readiness of critical mineral ecosystems and provide a pulse check for the global minerals ecosystem. Saudi Arabia has framed it as a blueprint to track progress toward resilient mineral value chains.

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