Through a demonstration of its growing global innovation leadership, Saudi Arabia concluded a high-impact participation at the G20 Startup20 Summit, presenting a forward-looking vision for entrepreneurship that places a strategic emphasis on collaboration with the rest of the world and also particularly, Africa. The Kingdom’s delegation leveraged the summit to translate its domestic economic transformation into international partnership, shaping the global agenda for startup ecosystems.
Led by Prince Fahd bin Mansour bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, Chair of the G20 Startup20 Engagement Group, the Saudi delegation showcased the Kingdom’s growing role in shaping the international startup landscape. The delegation, comprising experts in investment, technology, and sustainability, engaged in technical discussions and bilateral meetings focused on advancing cross-border startup growth, enhancing global talent mobility, and developing robust investment frameworks to facilitate international capital flows.
Prince Fahd affirmed the Kingdom’s commitment, stating, “Saudi Arabia continues to support a globally connected innovation ecosystem. Our work with South Africa and our G20 partners is laying the foundation for a more dynamic, more inclusive, and more competitive future for entrepreneurs worldwide.”
A Transformational Vision for Africa
A central pillar of Saudi Arabia’s participation was delivering tangible value to South Africa and broader African markets, reinforcing a shared commitment to inclusive, innovation-led growth. The Kingdom outlined key areas of collaboration designed to create lasting impact, including opening new investment routes between Africa and the Gulf, fostering technology cooperation and ecosystem building, and promoting talent mobility for African innovators. This effort aligns with broader continental goals in digital transformation, energy transition, and SME development.
This vision was further articulated in a notable address inspired by the legacy of Nelson Mandela, delivered as part of an African initiative in collaboration with NEOM. The address highlighted the future of development across the continent, emphasising innovation’s role in empowering youth and expanding economic opportunity. It stressed that strategic partnerships between African institutions and pioneering initiatives like NEOM open new pathways for entrepreneurship and talent development, offering African innovators unprecedented opportunities to shape the future.
Building on a Foundation of Global Innovation Leadership
Saudi Arabia’s influential role at the summit is a direct extension of its strategic, years-long push for economic diversification under Saudi Vision 2030. The Kingdom’s work in Johannesburg builds on its status as one of the world’s fastest-advancing nations in the Global Innovation Index, driven by massive national investments in research, digital infrastructure, and venture capital. This domestic transformation is now being projected outward as the Kingdom seeks to lead international innovation diplomacy.
A concrete highlight of the Summit was the recognition of the Saudi startup Net Zero, which received top honors for its innovations in environmental sustainability. To directly support African communities, Net Zero announced a dedicated tree-planting initiative across South Africa, physically planting the seeds of the Kingdom’s commitment to climate resilience and green development on the continent.
The Road Ahead to the United States 2026
With the Johannesburg summit concluded, Saudi Arabia is already steering the agenda toward the next G20 Startup20 Summit in the United States in 2026. The Kingdom played an instrumental role in defining the key deliverables for this next phase, which include finalising a unified Joint G20 Innovation Roadmap, establishing multi-country investment and funding architectures, and developing youth and talent mobility frameworks. A first-ever comprehensive global progress report, initiated during the South Africa meetings, will be presented in 2026.
Prince Fahd added, “Johannesburg marks an important milestone. The United States in 2026 will be the moment where the world sees the long-term vision of this group come to life.”
In his concluding remarks, Prince Fahd encapsulated the Kingdom’s overarching message: “Our role in the Startup20 platform reflects Saudi Arabia’s belief in a connected, collaborative global innovation economy. We look forward to continuing this work alongside all our partners — and to presenting a stronger, more unified agenda as we head toward the 2026 Summit in the United States.”
