Arabian Sun: Number 39

	October 13, 2021		Vol. LXXVI, No. 39				a weekly Aramco publication for employees
	CEO addresses
	Energy Intelligence
	Forum
	See pages 4 and 5
	Abdullah O.		Waleed A. Al Mulhim		Ali A. Al Meshari
	Al-Baiz honored		appointed executive director		appointed as
	in Dhahran as he		of Petroleum Engineering &		Chief Petroleum
	retires		Development		Engineer
					Ithra		launches
			See page 2		See page 3		See page 3

Children's

Book Fair

See page 6

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October 13, 2021 the arabian sun

2 company news

Abdullah O. Al-Baizhonored in Dhahran as he retires

Abdullah O. Al-Baiz has praised Aramco and its management - past and present - for a commitment to developing the workforce at his retirement ceremony in the company's Dhahran headquarters.

Hosted by senior vice president of Technical Services, Ahmad A. Al Sa'adi, and attended by members of corporate and senior management, Al-Baiz spoke of a bright future for the company and the Kingdom.

"Management has afforded me op- portunities, that were both challenging and satisfying at the same time," he said.

"The fact that I have not stayed in a single job in the last 30 years for more than three years, really gave me a unique exposure to the big picture of this company and its activities in their

CEO Amin Nasser poses with Al-Baiz during the retirement ceremony.

Prior to his assignment at SASREF, he was President for three years at LUBEREF - another Saudi Aramco/ Exxon Mobil joint venture lubrication base oil manufacturing and marketing company with plants in Jiddah and Yanbu.

In 2006, Al-Baiz began a two-year stint as director of New Business Evalu- ation, where he heavily engaged with the Saudi and international business community to explore areas of business developed in areas that that were beneficial to Saudi Aramco.

Prior to that assignment, he spent two years as manager of Gas Domestic Marketing, managing the Kingdom's Gas and NGL supply, demand outlook and supporting the Saudi Energy Ministry in the gas/NGL feedstock allocation management process to all In-Kingdom hydrocarbon industrial

entirety."

Career journey

Al-Baiz began his career with Sau- di Aramco in 1991 as a mechanical engineer in the Process Engineering Services Unit, and rounded off his career as chief digital officer. He holds a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

"The Digital Transformation organization really spans across our corporate strategy," Al-Baiz added, "the enhancement that we have witnessed over the recent past, underscores the

company's commitment to an effective and productive Digital Transfor- mation.

A world-class organization

"It is solid evidence that this company is really a world-class organization, and that it can move in a fast way, and remain an agile, successful, and cutting -edge business."

Al-Baiz went on to say that Saudi Ar- amco, not only keeps pace with, but strides ahead of the trends in the in- dustry.

"The best memory I have of this

company, is when I saw the development of the people whom I worked with.

"As for my retirement, it will entail looking after myself, my health, and I hope to travel around the world with my wife, and enjoying the company of my grandchildren and extended fami- ly," Al-Baiz said.

A rich career history

From 2010 to 2013, Al-Baiz served as president of SASREF, a refinery joint venture company in Jubail-Saudi Arabia owned by Saudi Aramco and Shell.

customers.

Before that, he served as manager of Hawiyah Gas Plant; one of the major plants in the Aramco hydrocarbon supply chain.

Al-Baiz has also served as a board member in two of Saudi Aramco joint venture refineries - Petron in the Phil- ippines and YASREF, in Yanbu-Saudi Arabia.

He serves on the board of Saudi Ar- amco Energy Ventures (SAEV), Saudi Aramco Asia Company (SAAC), and Saudi Aramco Development Company (SADCO).

Your voice

By Ahmad Mushahid

Saudi Aramco Expatriate School

Your Voice reflects the thoughts and opinions of the writer, and not necessarily those of the pub- lication.

Dream Big

Do you have a dream? Something that you're really passionate about achieving in your life? It could be becoming a lead actor, best chef, lead singer, top painter, a successful entre- preneur. I am sure you do have your dream goal to achieve.

Two years ago, it was a sunny afternoon at the Dhahran Hills recreation center and I had just finished my squash (sport) lessons. I was going to find my sister and my dad who were playing tennis (my first introduction to tennis as a sport) next to squash courts. My sister had just started to play tennis and I was seeing her play for the first time. I went over to watch my sister finish her practice so that we could leave for home

As soon as I reached the tennis court, my dad smashed a serve at my sister which she could not return. My eyes widened and my interest grew. I immediately ran up to see my dad in action. For the next few minutes, I saw him hitting forehands, back-

hands, volleys, smashes, and most importantly serves. "Wow," I said under my breath in an awe. At the same time, I felt an inner joy and goose bumps on my skin. I wanted to feel more of it.

I walked onto the court and picked up an old racket lying around. My dad threw a ball at me and I smashed it past him. He looked surprised for a second and then threw another ball at me which I smashed right past him again. Ball after ball, swing after swing, as my dad started playing with me, I keep smashing the tennis balls. After a few minutes, we stopped and decided to go home. I walked off the court feeling on top of the world and I instantly had a dream goal for myself. I wanted to become the best tennis player in the world, I wanted to become unstoppable.

I am following my dream very enthusiastically for the past couple of years; by taking coaching lessons, learning the basics, practicing with

my dad, playing the tournaments, watching videos of the basic and following the international tennis sports. With this passion, so far I have made into the first flight of the Dhahran Junior Tennis association and now playing with the top players in the camp. I understand that there is still a very long way to go, however, with the recreation facilities available in the camp, attention from tennis coaches, and above-all my own dedication, I can give a best shot at achieving my dream.

This is how my dream was made. Your dream may have been made in a different way, however, the important thing is to have a dream. Dreams keep you motivated and help you find the best out of yourself. The only condition is for you to put your heart out to achieve it. If you're really passionate about something and feel the inner hunger for it, don't be afraid to follow your dreams and become the person you always wanted to be. It is never too late.

the arabian sun October 13, 2021

company news 3

Waleed A. Al Mulhim appointed executive director of Petroleum Engineering & Development

Waleed A. Al Mulhim

Waleed A. Al Mulhim has been appointed Executive Director of Petroleum Engineering & Development.

His previous position was Chief Petroleum Engineer (appointed August 2018) where he oversaw reservoir management, reservoir simulation and description, reserves and reservoir planning, in addition to production and facility development. Prior to this, Al Mulhim was the Manager of Upstream Development Strategy

• Reserves Department from August 2016 to July 2018. In this role, he was leading the Saudi Aramco Reserves Certification project and represent- ing the Upstream in multiple IPO re- quirements.

Al Mulhim joined Aramco's College Preparatory Program in 1984 and graduated in 1989 with a B.S. degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Southern California.

After graduation, Al Mulhim joined Reservoir Management Department as an engineer and in 1993 he returned to the US to join Stanford University for an M.S. degree in Petroleum Engineering.

Returning in Jan 1995, he joined the Reservoir Management Khuff gas

unit. That was the prime time of the gas program as it represented the gas program expansion foundation. He was part of the subsurface team of both Hawiyah and Haradh Gas Plants developments in addition to Uth- maniyah and Shedgum Expansions.

From 1999 to 2004, Waleed joined the Gas Initiative Taskforce which led discussions and negotiations with international companies. This assignment was instrumental in Al Mulhim's career as it fast tracked his development with new skills and allowed him the exposure to learn from an elite Aramco team.

In 2006, Al Mulhim was assigned as the general supervisor to the Reserves Assessment & Development Studies Division before his official appointment as the manager of Southern Area Reservoir Management in 2007. During that time, he orchestrated multiple oil and gas increments including Khurais, Nuayyem, Karan, Arabiyah and Hasbah. In addition, during 2011 he had successfully led the Long-Term Crude Production Mix strategy as part of the Aramco Transformation Program.

In January 2015, Al Mulhim was assigned as EXPEC Advance Research

Center manager and oversaw the global growth of Aramco Research and Development activities and the inauguration of multiple overseas research centers.

Al Mulhim completed his executive education at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, New Hampshire in 2006 and he attended Aramco's Management Development Seminar in Washington and Oxford Energy Seminar in UK.

Al Mulhim is an active member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, and has been a great supporter of its volunteering efforts. He has participated in many programs and executive committees and panels, in multiple regional and international conferences. In 2010, he received the SPE Middle East Region Management & Information Award. He has also chaired the 2019 Middle East Oil Show in Bahrain. He currently chairs the Board of Directors of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia section.

Among his current responsibilities, Al Mulhim is a Board Member of Saudi Aramco Services Company in Houston, the Arabian Drilling Company and Lucksar, a Saudi Aramco Luckoil Joint Venture.

Ali A. Al Meshari appointed as Chief Petroleum Engineer

Ali A. Al Meshari

Ali A . Al Meshari has been appointed the Chief Petroleum Engineer of Aramco, where he oversees reser voir management, reser voir simulation and description, reserves and reservoir planning, in addition to production and facility develop- ment. Previously, he has served as acting general manager of Public Affairs where he oversaw a diverse portfolio of global corporate communications and citizenship pro - grams, including the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra). He has also served as acting general manager of EXPEC Computer Center.

Al Meshari also led the Upstream Development Strategy and Reserves Department. Prior to assuming this position, he held various positions within Aramco including leading the EXPEC Advance Research Center (EXPEC ARC). He oversaw the technology development portfolio for the Upstream business, which covers a wide spectrum of disciplines, including geosciences, drilling, pro-

duction, reservoir engineering and simulation. In addition, Al Meshari manages the Upstream Global Research Centers through his role as the chief executive officer of Saudi Aramco Upstream Technology Company LLC.

Al Meshari's career has included appointments as the general supervisor of Reservoir Simulation in Reservoir Description and Simulation Department, Northern Area Oil Operations as Producing Operations Superintendent of Safaniyah (the largest offshore field in the world), superintendent of Offshore Producing Operation Engineering Division, and general supervisor of Reservoir Management Depar tments both North and South where he covered as a general supervisor for Qatif reservoir management division in the Northern Area.

Beginning in 2007, he served as the overall coordinator for Aram- co's Carbon Management Team and

as the Carbon Capture and Sequestration consultant with the Ministry of Energy Industry and Mineral Re- sources.

Al Meshari holds a PhD degree from Texas A&M University and an MS degree from the University of Texas at Austin, both in Petroleum Engineering. He holds a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. Al Meshari has completed a number of leadership development programs, including Building Accounting, Finance and Risk Management Capability in 2010, the Executive Program at INSEAD Business School in 2017, and the Saudi Aram- co Management Development Seminar in 2018.

He served as a board member of Saudi Intellectual Properties Authority and in the board of 23rd World Petroleum Congress organizing committee and a member in the congress program committee.

October 13, 2021 the arabian sun

the arabian sun October 13, 2021

4 company news

What does the growth in demand look like in Asia? Are they asking for lower-carbon

cargoes?

in phases, but the reaching of the full capacity will be 2027. People do not realize that it is not a switch button that you decide I'm going to bring addition-

company news 5

What are your plans of opening up the gas

sector to foreign investors?

CEO worries

industry

investments 'prematurely

Energy Intelligence president Alex Schindelar put forward probing questions to CEO Amin Nasser.

We are doing our best to further reduce or eliminate emissions at Saudi Ar- amco. For example, hydrogen could be a solution, but the markets need to develop further for that to happen at a bigger scale. Currently, the energy transition is slower in the developing world because of high costs and affordability issues. But over time we see that changing, and we also need to be aware of the realities that were highlighted by the IEA and its 2050 Net Zero road map but did not get enough attention. Today, there are 800 million people around the world with no electricity.

Which fields are going to be expanded to

add the 1 million b/d increment?

We are doing the front-end engineering right now. In terms of bringing additional capacity when and if required,

al supply. It takes time and effort. The front-end engineering alone takes two years, so I hope we don't wake up one day with the crisis on our hands because we did not develop the right resources and adequate supplies to meet the world demand.

Can you tell us more about Ar- amco's gas development

plans?

Today, if you look at our current gas processing capacities, they are around 18 billion standard cubic feet per day. Our unconven- tional gas program will complement our conventional gas pro- gram. Jafurah is our largest unconventional project. It is located east of the Ghawar oil field. It's a very massive structure, we are talking about a 170 by 100 kilometer source rock reservoir, which contains a large quantity of liquid rich gas. One important additional

The strategy is to eliminate liquid burning in the kingdom, and that will definitely have economic benefits and also help to reduce emissions. So, we have lots of opportunities for collaboration in the midstream and downstream end of the gas business. And if it is of benefit and value, we could certainly explore collaboration opportunities with a range of investors, and that's basically what we are doing right now. As I said, it's not going to be only the unconventional gas that we will be developing. There will be others such as non-associated gas that will be developed as well. And we are open for collaboration.

Have there been any developments on your thinking

around hydrogen over the past year?

We believe demand for clean hydrogen in the transport sector, electric power generation and industry will increase

cut'

President and CEO Amin Nasser

addressed this year's Energy Intelligence Forum on a variety of topics, including the potential for global oil supply shortages due to industry underinvestment

We're seeing big spikes in natural gas prices in Europe, in Asia and the US. People are

wondering what's going on. Given that Aramco is the biggest oil supplier to a lot of these markets, we're hoping to get your insight on what you think is driving this rise in commodity prices. Is this something that's temporary, driven by speculation?

We see higher demand [in oil]. If you look at the IEA [International Energy Agency] report, we are - for the third quarter- looking at close to 97 million barrels [per day]. By year's end, we are looking at something around close to 99 million barrels. If you look at the forecast from the IEA for the fourth quarter next year, it's a little bit over 100 million bbl, so there is higher demand. With the higher demand, we are seeing certain short to mid-term issues pop up, like the energy and the electricity cost in the UK and in Europe, and the shortage of gas.

investments are prematurely cut in our industry, we're seeing that lack of investment in the sector. It's pressure that we are seeing on major energy companies around the world from their shareholders [and] investors, and that sort of pressure to me is counterintuitive. Capital has become constrained, and several producers are moving away from oil and gas. That in effect lowers supply, and I'm concerned that this trend will continue for the foreseeable future. But the bigger issue is, they are related to the energy transition. The industry does support the transition to having better and cleaner sources of energy. But the transition must ensure there are reliable supplies of energy that people can afford. There is a need for an orderly transition. Pragmatic energy policies are needed and hasty decisions must be avoided as much as possible in order to get back to normality in the business.

not a realistic picture of the future. The report seems also to reflect a one-sided regional perspective and unfortunately is applied to the entire world. For ex- ample, Europe is moving aggressively with the energy transition, but the EU consumes just a little bit above 10% [of crude]. The assumption is that Europe may be able to afford an expensive solution being proposed, but unfortunately most of the developing world won't be able to come up with [the] additional costs for this energy transition, so affordability is a key priority. But as we see the recent events in Europe, affordability has also become an issue, even in Europe. For the transition to succeed and be smooth, governments and regulators and users and companies need to work together to develop an optimal and practi- cal future energy plan. The way I see it, the report puts a lot of pressure on investors and shareholders and focused on the [low demand] scenario.

and that's what we are doing to get to the 13 million b/d, we will focus on existing fields and will make the appropriate disclosure and announcement when we reach certain project milestones. But the [increment] will come from existing and new fields, so it will be a combination of both.

Mainly offshore fields?

It is. A lot of our resources are in the offshore, so there will be an emphasis on the offshore to develop additional capacity from there.

When will the increment be delivered?

It will not be delivered in one shot. There are different increments coming

benefit from Jafurah is the extra ethane and NGL [natural gas liquid] from the rich gas it provides. It enhances the profitability, of course, and also [can be used as] feedstock for our chemical busi- ness. And most of our current costs are fairly close in developing unconventional gas to North America, while stimulation costs are just below North America. The first increment from Jafurah will be coming on stream in 2025. Then we will ramp up steadily to 2 Bcf/d of sales gas by 2030.

How much gas will come from the first phase of Jafu-

rah?

We're talking about 200 million-300 million and then it's ramping up every year until it reaches 2 billion. And as I said, the full capacity will be in 2030.

over time. Two main factors giving us a competitive advantage, particularly in blue hydrogen, are our large gas resources and our strength in our large gas reserves. We are building substantial blue hydrogen capacity as the rate of demand growth is key. The scale will all depend on demand. You know, at the end of the day, clean hydrogen will cost much more than a barrel of oil equivalent or a barrel of gas equivalent. So, the market needs to develop in terms of companies like Saudi Aramco and other energy companies around the world to develop projects at scale. We do have the interest, we do have the capacity, we do have the resources to do that. But right now, we are working with our customers in different markets to see if they have the appetite for big scale projects. That's what's important at the end of the day - making sure there is an offtake agreement to build these megaprojects for clean hydrogen.

and Aramco's strategy to respond to the low-carbon energy transition.

Of course, that had certain impacts on what is happening now. There is some shift that we have seen from gas to liquids especially. In certain markets in Asia, that impact will lift oil demand by an additional almost half a million bar- rels, shifting from gas to oil. And we are seeing the surplus of inventories is behind us right now, down more than 10%

How soon do you think we might see a recovery from an investment side and add more

supply capacity?

In our sector, a lot of people do not know. It takes time to bring supplies to the markets. Aramco is increasing its maximum sustained capacity from 12

Nasser passes the torch of energy executive of the year

Reproduced from October 8, 2021 issue of Petroleum Intelligence

Weekly, Vol. 60, No. 40, with permission from the publisher, Energy Intelligence Group, for Saudi Aramco. Copyright © 2021 Energy Intelligence Group. All rights reserved.

from the five-year average.

Will there be a shortage of spare oil capacity in the market? Will there be a need for more

supply from Opec-plus?

We will leave that for Opec-plus to decide, what sort of supply they will be putting in the market. We receive our targets every month from the [Saudi] Ministry of Energy with regard to how much we put in the markets, so they do have their own deliberations with regard to assessing the markets and how much supplies they need to add.

Do you think underinvestment will lead to an inevitable oil shortage, especially given how much the international oil companies are scal-

ing back their investments?

Yes, that's my concern. As I've been saying for the last two to three years,

million to 13 million [barrels per day]. That additional 1 million bbl will take a couple of years. It's not going to come at full capacity at 13 million until 2027. It takes years two to three years between front-end engineering work, and construction would take also another three to four years. So, it will take time to bring additional supplies to the mar- ket. We are doing our share in terms of building capacity even though we have adequate spare capacity. Today, we are bringing additional supplies to the market while we're working on reducing our emissions at the same time. But others in the industry, other energy companies, need to do this.

What is your reaction to the IEA's net-zero report?

I think the IEA report presented three scenarios. With oil demand in 2050 ranging between 104 and 24 million bbl, it's a big range. But the focus was mostly on the lower demand case, which is

October 4 2021 marked the passing of the torch of the Energy Intelligence Energy Executive of the Year Award from Aramco CEO Amin Nasser to ADNOC CEO HE Dr. Sultan Al-Jaber.

Congratulating Al Jaber, Nasser said that great leaders do not set out to be CEOs, rather, they set out to make a difference.

"In other words, it's not about the role … it is about the goal. His Excellency is a model of an inspiring individual who is making a massive difference," Nasser said.

"Indeed, His Excellency has launched an ambitious reform agenda, transforming ADNOC into one of the world's most respected energy companies. He has redefined what it means to be a state energy enterprise. By doing that, he has also redefined the mindset."

Nasser noted that under Al Jaber's leadership

Amin Nasser.

HE Dr. Sultan Al-Jaber.

the list of highlights is long and includes consolidating the company's upstream assets while expanding its downstream business, creating value through equity partnerships and IPOs, overseeing ADNOC's first commercial-scale CCUS facility, and delivering the UAE's first unconventional gas.

"We know that for him it's not about being first rather it's about doing what's best," Nasser said. "Best for the future of ADNOC. Best for

Abu Dhabi. Best for the UAE. Best for the energy sector. Best for our planet."

"When Energy Intelligence renamed this prestigious award to 'Energy Executive of the Year' it was a reflection of the changing times we are in. A reminder of what is happening within our industry. In fact, it's almost as if this award was renamed with His Excellency in mind. Simply put, there is no one else today who is leading a major oil and gas company who also has so much expertise in renewables and clean technology thanks to his Masdar experience, who also is a climate change special envoy and who also somehow finds the additional time each day to maintain an impressive ministerial career."

Nasser went on to observe that, "I know that for His Excellency, it will never be about receiving an award … rather it will always be about moving forward."

October 13, 2021 the arabian sun

MOU6 companywithnews Dammam airport paves way for logistics hub

Aramco has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dammam Airports Company (DACO) to explore the establishment of a fully integrated ecosystem that can serve the needs and support of Aramco and its sub- sidiaries, subcontractors, affiliate for their logistics and cargo facilities.

The collaboration will also entail support by DACO to companies registered in Saudi Aramco's iktva program and facilitation of their onboarding to King Fahad International Airport (KFIA) cargo village for establishing their operation hubs. In addition, it will explore growing the passenger traffic and cargo business through KFIA by attracting new airlines.

iktva boost

The signing ceremony took place at Dhahran North Park complex, and Ar- amco was represented by Mohammad

Mohammad Al-Shammary is joined by Mohammed Al-Mansour as they sign the MOU.

Al-Shammary, vice president of Procurement and Supply Chain Manage- ment, and Mohammed Al-Mansour, DACO Chairman.

Al-Shammary commented, "This agreement will contribute to the realization of one of the major aspirations of Saudi Vision 2030, namely becoming a global logistics hub by increas-

ing the private sector participation, and expanding the cargo and logistics operation at KFIA."

Al-Mansour remarked: "The signing of this memorandum is parallel with objectives of the civil aviation sector in the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services which has been launched recently which aims to position the Kingdom as a global logistics hub connecting three continents and improve all transport services in support of Saudi Vision 2030". He added "This initiative will mark the start of DACO's and Aramco's drive to elevate the upcoming future of flight traffic development, cargo business and business opportunities in the Eastern Province".

Major logistics center

DACO CEO Fahad Al-Harbi added: "King Fahd International airport has

access to many competitive ingredients to be a major logistic hub in the kingdom, especially with accommodating the first Cargo Village in KSA.

"DACO is fully committed to activate this agreement by working closely with Aramco on conducting the necessary researches and cases studies to create a smart eco-system toward supporting Aramco and its' subsidiar- ies".

Manager of Materials Logistics Department Mohammed Al-Mahri not- ed: "The signing of this agreement converges the strategic interests of both Saudi Aramco and DACO, while reinforcing Saudi Aramco's effort to optimize the company supply chain. It will help strengthen the logistics and freight activities between both parties by identifying new business opportunities thanks to our unique iktva pro- gram"

ForIthrathe Firstlaunchestime in EasternChildren'sProvince Book Fair

As part of the national reading competition iRead, now in its seventh year, King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) inaugurates its Children's Book Fair which will take place from October 11-16, 2021 with an international participation from Belgium in order to have a closer look at Belgian culture and celebrate the Belgian contribution to the field of chil- dren's literature through characters who inspired generations of young readers such as Tintin and the Smurfs.

The fair will host 10 local and international publishing houses specialized in children's literature. The fair serves children from 4-14 years old through a series of programs, events, workshops and meetups that cater to children and their families. It also aims to inspire children and grow their interest in reading and exploration, as well as nurture their reading interest via through varied and up-to-date methods.

First of its kind

The six-day Children's Book Fair is the first of its kind in the Eastern Province. It will provide children with a collection of interactive activities to nurture young talent, as well as expanding reading skills, production and knowledge exchange by building concepts that elevate reading and exploration skills.

Affirming Ithra's belief in children's capacities and in celebration of their literary achievements, the fair will host the renowned Saudi novelist Ritaj Al Hazmi, who received the title of the world's youngest novelist, to share her experi-

10 local and international publishing houses specializing in children's literature are taking part in the fair.

ence before and after receiving the title, with other children.

Speaking at the launch of the fair, Bel- gium's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, HE Dominique Mineur, said: "It is a special honor for me and for Belgian to be chosen to be here today."

She added: "The role Ithra is playing is unique as it is shedding light on the cultural and the hidden gems of the Saudi Kingdom, inspiring minds and empowering talents."

Mineur added: "I commend Ithra for promoting a good reading culture among the young generation."

Reflecting on over a century of links, she remarked: "Ever since our friendship ties were established in 1919, our two Kingdoms of Belgium and Saudi Arabia have striven to achieve the true spirit of

partnership on many levels and that of course includes cultural ones."

Homeland of creativity

In his speech at the Children's Book Fair, Ithra's Head of Programs, Dr. Ashraf Fagih, stressed that reading is for all ages and generations and that the exhibition is designed to meet the requirements of young readers, to celebrate their reading prowess and enhance their abilities in enjoying the written word. He thanked the publishing houses par- ticipating, and said: "Let us establish our children with their feet on the beginning of this road: in the homeland of creativi- ty, culture and art."

To complement the role of the library and instill the love of reading, the Center will feature interactive activities such as "Story Cubes," which aim to teach children the basics of writing stories through

I commend Ithra for promoting a good reading culture among the young generation.

- HE Dominique Mineur

play. The Center will offer an educational game on a monthly basis to nurture skills related to innovation and imagina- tion, as well as promoting participation and teamwork. The fair will also include a book signing activity for the book "Jumana, the Girl Who Has Grown Up Enough" by Salma Bukhamsin, who will also narrate the story to children and discuss it and its elements in a way suitable for the young audience.

Stories and storytellers will enjoy a distinctive presence at the fair, with workshops taking place such as "You're the Storyteller" which will educate parents on how to choose the perfect time and place to read a story, and how to read it in a way that fires up children's passions and their interest in reading. "Create your Library" will also be dedicated to parents who want to learn how to collect and arrange books creatively.