Under the patronage of Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) Governor Fahad Almubarak, the 2nd Annual Central Bank Conference on Development Economics in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) was inaugurated in Riyadh Tuesday. The inauguration ceremony was attended by the World Bank Vice President for Middle East and North Africa Ferid Belhaj and a number of central bank officials from participating countries. On this occasion, SAMA Deputy Governor for Research and International Affairs Fahad Alshathri delivered a welcoming speech on behalf of the governor, in which he stressed the significance of the conference. Alshathri said in his speech that the conference, hosted by SAMA for the first time in Saudi Arabia, promotes academic research. He also added that the event encourages the participation of economic entities from across the MENA region in discussions of key issues facing the region’s economic policymakers. The topics covered by this year’s conference are especially important as they include high inflation and its repercussions on the global economy and the MENA region specifically. In his speech, the deputy governor also made reference to the initiatives launched by SAMA to support economic and financial research that aim to enhance the Saudi economy. Such initiatives go in line with the Kingdom’s efforts to advance economic development and achieve Saudi Vision 2030 goals. Furthermore, Alshathri stressed the importance of promoting cooperation between economic policymakers and researchers from various regional and international entities to propose effective solutions for the most pressing economic challenges and issues. The theme of the conference this year is “Inflation Dynamics During Uncertain Times: The Path Toward Stable and Sustainable Recovery”. World Bank experts and senior economic researchers from various central banks, universities, and international and local research centers will participate in the event to discuss different topics under this year’s theme. The organization of the conference comes as part of SAMA’s ongoing efforts to support research in the fields of economy, finance, and development. Moreover, it aligns with SAMA’s keenness to promote cooperation and communication with researchers and economists locally and internationally. The conference presents the latest important economic research, and it discusses suggested economic policies with aim of enhancing economic growth and stability. — SPA