Construction Resumes on Jeddah Tower Project

Construction of the Jeddah Tower, which aims to become the world's tallest skyscraper at 1,000 meters, has resumed after nearly seven years of delays primarily caused by a kingdom-wide anti-corruption purge that began in 2017. The Jeddah Economic Company (JEC) announced that the project is now expected to be completed by 2028, with approximately 63 of the planned 157 floors already built. The resumption ceremony was attended by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a major backer of the project, who expressed his enthusiasm through a social media post. The project stalled due to the arrests of key stakeholders amid the anti-graft campaign, with work halting entirely in early 2018. A significant agreement worth 7.2 billion riyals ($1.9 billion) has been reached with the Saudi Binladin Group to continue construction. The tower is part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative aimed at economic diversification beyond oil dependency.