Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST

[M163-01] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:00:47 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

ou've got to use, get used to my spontaneity that's for sure will be a long endeavor for you to, …

[M163-02] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:01:00 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

well I first of all I'm very grateful for giving me this awesome round of applause the only time I remember having similar one or actually it's yours, is better one than the one I had in Egypt just recently

[M163-03] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:01:21 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I'm really truly humbled that I come with a new friend which my wife and children recognize that after just one meal that they became part of our family and indeed it was genuine, it was as good as it gets over a dinner of two hours and a half on Saturday evening and by the way and I don't mind being inclusive in my own personal affair you know I'm very transparent person

[M163-04] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:02:01 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

and actually I have a family that we live our life that really we have nothing to hide we're as transparent as we should be because we want to be living a life that we want to live and it was just funny that Saturday was the very night that my wife and I and children usually go out for a dinner and recoup what we have done with the week so it just happened accidentally that Secretary and his wife joined us on that Saturday night which even made it closer to the idea that they have attended the family dinner so they must be a part of our family

[M163-05] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:03:00 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

and indeed they proved that they are part of our family, our job is to make sure that we continue this family relationship because it's not only going to deliver an addition to our family but it's going to deliver an addition to our cooperation going forward

[M163-06] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:03:23 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I had a wonderful three days so far, this is the fourth I don't think, I don't recall in all my career in the Energy Ministry which is now I think June next year it will be 38 years

[M163-07] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:03:52 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

that's why Professor Edward was questioning whether he's older than me or I'm older, but rest assured you are older than me which gives me a better comfort that at least I feel that I am still recognized to be a ranked youth, although relatively youthful but in my 38 years in the ministry, I don't recall that we had a Secretary of Energy or any Secretary that spent four days, He's leaving tomorrow so it will be a full four days of visit, but I think his drive was because he has a very inquisitive mind

[M163-08] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:04:38 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

and he wanted to know more about this country, know about what we're doing and know it in a very comprehensive way that's why I took him into this journey, starting with the human journey and then we went into a full day in the Ministry describing -not me describing- again as professor Edward was saying, it was the youth of this country describing what we want to do

[M163-09] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:05:13 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

talking about youth I have to say I'm just being a bit clever about it uh as professor Edward was saying the statistics push you to rely on the youth, and the ambition push you to rely on the youth because he and I we will not be there to reap the fruits of what we intend to do it's the youth who has a better and a more important task to be the achievers because they will see the result of their good work not only it would reflect on them but it would reflect on their families to come and their sons and daughters and grandsons and daughters so they have a much bigger interest in making that future happen than someone like me, as professor Edward is saying we we're working as the enablers and the more we enable the better we deliver in our duty to serve these causes

[M163-10] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:06:32 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Vision 2030 will happen, hopefully, in 2030 and if there is some delays here and there it will be two, three, four years but again who is going to benefit from that it's you and your children, and therefore it's very crucial to recognize that now one other issue that professor Edward would mention was my challenge that I had in my life which is how to bring that idea to roost home which is neglecting half of the size of the population, is wrong and wrong and wrong

[M163-11] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:07:31 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

and to see me and others who were in the 80s and 90s were in the shade for having to be conceived as being, throwing ultra progressive ideas that has no home for it here and conceived as part of the minority and then here comes Johnny we get this opening of at least reasoning with the idea that we should test the idea that women can deliver and look at what women are delivering in Saudi Arabia over the last six to seven years

[M163-12] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:08:26 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

people that resisted, people that called this name are ashamed of themselves, because they really realized that within their own homes there are wives and children that are making them proud today but this is because of the new Saudi Arabia

[M163-13] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:09:01 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Yes, I live, I fought for a noble cause and that's why I will continue fighting for that noble cause because I have proofs to showcase that it is was disheartening to not give these women the opportunity I would also add not to give the youth in general the opportunity of participating in making that future, and that's why I believe that to deliver on the ambition you just have to be or you just have to recognize that you have to do all of these things in a bottom up approach

[M163-14] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:09:53 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

there is no way that these ambitions will be delivered without being inclusive, a group of talented people like you here how on earth I could get you to move and move you and shake you to be enthusiastically moving to your classes your offices your whatever you do without getting to feel that whatever you're about to go and do is something that you own, how could I get you to feel that there is a serious buying-in from a smart people like you if you don't feel that you own it and you will be recognized for it

[M163-15] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:10:41 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

so again it's youth enablement and giving people the right and I would say 25 times the right of owning, because if you want to be smart and achiever you just have to live with the fact that smart ambitious young people would only be incentivized if you create that incubator to allow them to thrive and prosper and again although awkwardly Mr. Secretary this is my first ever visit to KAUST I only attended the opening and by the way Secretary Chris did, …, if I may share it you have bestowed with me an attribute that I was not actually cognizant of in his speech in a dinner in Dhahran Sunday evening

[M163-16] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:12:06 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

he was so gracious with so many kind word about me but then he said which is another hopefully I would attribute that I am also a good standing comedian so as a standing comedian, I'd have to share with you a story when we had the opening of KAUST, you know it was late King Abdullah God bless his soul and everybody was really in this vibe environment that KAUST inauguration will happen, I think I remember if this auditorium is big the auditorium that they created temporarily created for that event is probably five six times bigger than this auditorium

[M163-17] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:13:07 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

and when we walked in I saw a huge glass window and I asked I said "I've never seen anything like this." And they said "We have a at the end of the event we have a huge firework to celebrate the occasion." Said "Fantastic. "So you know we'll have inauguration and we have a firework fourth of July is coming into Saudi Arabia

[M163-18] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:13:39 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

so but what is funny is that because of the number of the people and the size of the place they put so much air conditioning that was pumping air like hell and it was September, as you know Jeddah in September, it's the peak of humidity and what happened is that this cold air throwing it ferociously that air was going into that glass and with the humidity from the outside and heat

[M163-19] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:14:22 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

so what happened is that we ended up with a glass that was full of water and actually when the firework started nobody saw anything and I will never forget that there were poor janitors or what have you they were just pushing something just to get just to make sure that at least the first line of the audience just to have a glimpse of what is happening abroad but actually no one saw anything we saw shades of colors you know like green and yellow and then I asked myself if everybody thought about everything, but they didn't think of this little thing there must be something wrong

[M163-20] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:15:17 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

sometimes I get to be accused of being too perfectionist which I am but it's this nitty little gritty details that make something big and magnanimous or a disappointment and I will never forget as you may some of you know King Abdullah he was so mesmerized with this and then he kept holding his bisht and said what's going on so god bless his soul

[M163-21] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:15:51 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

ever since that event I did not the occasion did not come that I visit here, although I went through a period with Minister Al-Naimi where he had the most frustrating experience attending to fix what has happened in KAUST for about a year and a half which is fixing the place

[M163-22] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:16:22 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

the place that was new required fixing because in two, three months after the opening, Jeddah had a huge amount of rain and most of the residential part was packed with water so they realized that there was something wrong and for two years almost a process of fixing this whole thing and bring remedy to these things was initiated in a very costly way, but that tells you something else which is in wanting to achieve something quick you run a risk of not achieving it quick

[M163-23] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:17:11 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

in fact you run a higher cost and you will have to endure more frustration and you will have to spend more time more than the time that you thought that you are clipping out of the original plan, so there is physics at the end of the day there are things that can happen in a day or two there are things that can never happen in a day or two and you have to acquest to the reality of what it says and what you have to live with again my awkwardness is that I haven't visited the place I was waiting for the formal directive to come which is I have to say a few words about it.

[M163-24] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:18:05 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Yes, the Crown Prince is my brother, but the Crown Prince doesn't deal with me as a brother nor I deal with him as a brother I deal with him as my boss, he is the Crown Prince he's the Prime Minister and he is the one who nominated me for being a Minister and without which I would have not have been a Minister nor by the way I have ever thought I will ever become a Minister but here you go

[M163-25] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:18:40 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

He is the person who enabled me so if there is anything I could say that I have achieved if it wasn't for his support and enablement I would not have achieved And I say it out of being conscious because it's only fair, it's only fair that you recognize those people who helped you to be something and just before Ramadan he just in an occasion he just turned his face said I want you to take over my behalf the chairmanship of KAUST, it was in front of few of our colleagues and it was quite disarming

[M163-26] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:19:28 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

but I know for a fact that he was so pleased with what I was doing at KFUM, I know for a fact that he was pleased with what I have done in overhauling KAPSARC and I know that he knows that I was originally in the academic, I did work at KFUPM for four years as a lecturer and two years as a lecturer and two years in the research institute

[M163-27] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:20:00 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

and by the way in the research institute I failed and failed miserably, because we're I was trying to create an energy economic center and we had a good, I had a good group of people working with me but what killed us and killed that dream was the enablers and that's why when I went to Minister Al-Naimi suggesting that we didn't have KAPSARC he told me go and fight for it if you want it

[M163-28] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:20:37 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

so we managed, I managed to do what I could not do in 86 or 85 which is you don't do anything without a good bylaws, good enablers in terms of budgets and financial requirements having the ability to recruit properly and you have the bylaws that allow you to do it and I what I call it the ecosystem

[M163-29] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:21:13 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

so I have to say that we did an earlier job with KAPSARC which is to create these enablers including the endowment of KAPSARC including including including but again, it did not work and the reason is that we had past buyers who never felt enthusiastic to be part of this thing or did not realize what is the real purpose of that thing

[M163-30] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:21:51 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

and to be candid about it and I don't want to take much of your time but it was probably the most disheartening part of my career which is you spend couple of years doing all of the above and then somebody says no let Aramco do it and let Aramco attend to it, It was like almost taking one of your children away from you

[M163-31] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:22:19 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

so I went through that experience so I made a promise that if you throw some tears on something that you were the original thinker of it, and you work laboriously hard to deliver it, and then it gets to be taken out from you, to be handed to someone else that has nothing to do with it, and to see the amount of painful experience that you undergo when you go through these things so you owe it to others that you should not let others go through that experience

[M163-32] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:23:00 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

because you know how painful it is, so to me getting back to fix KAPSARC to the original idea was overwhelming, getting me to chair KFUPM to fix it to what it was before was overwhelming, giving me the chance to create all the enablers to KFUPM to make it even KFUPM bylaws now is almost like KAUST, the financial enablers are there everything is there KAPSARC so, even the ministry by the way we have an account that support us to allow us to recruit good quality people because it's all about people

[M163-33] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:23:51 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Honestly, it's all about people let's not fool ourselves especially in university and in education outfits, I will never forget Dr. Bakr Abdullah Bakr who used to be director of KFUPM, we were in a discussion few years ago, after I left the university and I was working with…, we had dinner somewhere I think it was an occasion and he looked at me after a lengthy discussion with so many of our colleagues and he just gazed at me and he said look ablaze forget what you hear universities is about highly prepared student and highly qualified teacher the rest is details

[M163-34] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:24:43 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I honestly believe that but in the case of KAUST, in the case of KAPSARC, and will be in the case of KFUPM you have even the enablers and you have the capability to recruit the high quality people and you have the system that allow you to pick the best of student and now our general education system is improving, so it is producing good quality students

[M163-35] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:25:21 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

so there is no excuse, my apologies of not coming earlier and being onboarded, but the decision was just came out in Ramadan and Secretary knows that I'm busy with so many things, including something serious that relates to our relationship and that's why I feel that I'm awkward that I came to please our friend here to be here and see what we going through

[M163-36] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:25:59 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

but what I promise which I will do hopefully next week or the week after I'll come for a long visit where I can be properly onboarded but I believe in people, it's all about people, so I took my Pardon from Sir Edward by saying wherever I go as a newcomer to an outfit the first thing I do is sit with the people

[M163-37] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:26:37 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

and listen, actually don't talk and allow people to speak up, and figure out what's going on in this place, know what it is, how it is, how it operates, get acquainted with the people, understand how they see this institution is running, do they see or they have ideas that we should incubate, do we need to adjust the strategy,

[M163-38] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:27:15 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

he's just been just nine months and the strategy was proved before he comes, he before he became the President before I came as chairman but we don't want to change for the purpose of change we just want to review and continue reviewing because it's a process it's like being an inquisitive person It's a process if you are inquisitive person that process would be until the last day you are alive

[M163-39] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:27:54 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

which means that you are apt for change as change is being required, but that change has to happen through a process of being inclusive and being fair to listen to everybody and by the way including students because eventually you have to make sure that those who are benefiting from these programs are listened to because you could and you have to be apt and amenable to the tweaking if you want to tweak

[M163-40] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:28:36 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

so my apologies for not coming earlier, but my promises is that you will see me a lot and you will see me not spending this time talking but actually I would prefer to listen then talk, once again thank you for visiting, I hope we made you excited to come again and again, already we have some spare villas here if you …

[M163-41] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:29:24 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I offered the Secretary a spare Villa at KAPSARC, KFUPM wait we are undergoing a massive improvement to the housing facilities it does not come close to what you see here or at KAPSARC but give us a couple of years I think we're getting there, although Dr Sagaf is a very stingy person he doesn't like to spend I hope he doesn't, Oh he's a board member, so but here you go

[M163-42] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:29:56 · Minister of Energy Speech - KAUST · 2025-04-18 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I'm really honored, not only to just to be your chair, the chair of the university but I'm truly honored for the person who thought of me as I could be a replacement for him which is Crown Prince Muhammad and the Prime Minister Prince Mohammad bin Salman, thank you