The Saudi Business Center: Building a one-stop shop for investors (B) Reforms, challenges, features and outcomes

Introduction: The challenge of starting a business in Saudi ArabiaIn Part I, we read the fictional story of Amal, an entrepreneur in Riyadh, who set out to open a private school in 2017. Amal quickly discovered that what should have been an exciting business venture was instead a bureaucratic marathon. Although Amal’s story was fictional, it was based on facts.To obtain a school licence, Amal had to engage with 11 different government entities, complete 18 separate steps, and comply with 56 regulatory requirements spread across six different platforms. Each step carried its own fees, inspections, and paperwork.