Saudi Arabia closes 10 privatisation, PPP deals in first half of 2026

Summary

• Finance Ministry says 10 privatisation and PPP projects were undertaken in the first half of 2026.
• Signed partnership contracts now total 83, with value-for-money estimated at 28.3 billion riyals.
• Riyadh is targeting 240 billion riyals in private capital through privatisation by 2030.

The latest

Saudi Arabia pushed through 10 privatisation and public-private partnership projects in the first half of 2026, according to the Finance Ministry's pre-budget statement for 2027. The deals span aviation, healthcare, logistics and sport, and lift the kingdom's cumulative tally of signed partnership contracts to 83. The ministry put the estimated value-for-money of those contracts at 28.3 billion riyals, or about 7.52 billion dollars.

Details

• The headline number: The pre-budget statement for 2027 counts 10 privatisation and PPP projects undertaken between January and June 2026, according to ZAWYA Projects. The ministry presented them as part of a running programme rather than one-off transactions, with the cumulative contract count given alongside the half-year activity.
• Aviation and sport: Among the first-half projects is Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Qassim, structured as a public-private partnership, and an investment project covering five sports clubs. The statement did not name the clubs involved or disclose the value of either transaction.
• Two contracts signed: The ministry also signed two private-sector contracts in the period: the SABIC Mental Health Hospital in the healthcare sector and the Jubail Container Terminal in transport and logistics. Both sit in segments Riyadh has flagged as priorities for private operation of public assets.
• The cumulative tally: Signed partnership contracts have reached 83, with estimated value-for-money of 28.3 billion riyals, according to the statement. The ministry also reported 12 asset transfer contracts, a separate category from partnership deals, without breaking down which sectors those transfers covered.
• Money already committed: Total investment in privatisation and PPP projects reached roughly 180 billion riyals by the end of 2025, the statement said. Private-sector capital investment within that programme exceeded 56.2 billion riyals, meaning the state and its partners still account for the larger share.
• The 2030 target: The National Privatisation Strategy aims to attract 240 billion riyals, about 64 billion dollars, in private-sector capital investment through privatisation transactions by 2030. Measured against the 56.2 billion riyals logged so far, the bulk of that target remains to be raised over the next four years.
• The strategy: The National Privatisation Strategy was approved in November 2025 to strengthen public-private partnerships, maximise their economic, social and financial impact, and improve the quality of public services for citizens and residents, according to the statement.
• How it is organised: The strategy sets out five key programmes intended to enable and advance the privatisation ecosystem, supported by 42 implementation initiatives. The ministry did not publish a timeline for individual initiatives or identify which of the five programmes the first-half projects fall under.

Background

Privatisation and PPPs are a financing track within Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 agenda, designed to move public assets and services into private operation while reducing direct state capital outlay. Value-for-money is the ministry's measure of savings generated versus conventional public procurement.

Between the lines

The gap between the two capital figures is the story to watch. Private investment of 56.2 billion riyals against a 240 billion riyal goal for 2030 implies the pace must accelerate sharply, and the 83 signed contracts to date suggest the programme is scaling through many mid-sized deals rather than a few large ones. Disclosure remains partial: neither project values nor club names were released.

What's next

The 2027 budget statement, due after the pre-budget phase, should show whether privatisation revenue and private capital inflows are tracking the 2030 target. Financial close and operator announcements for Qassim airport and Jubail Container Terminal are the next concrete markers.

Source: ZAWYA Projects