Ilyas El Harti: "Akdital targets 1,000 beds in Saudi Arabia and starts operations in the country from January 2026"

The Akdital group has officially announced the signing of major partnerships in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These projects aim to create and operate a network of multidisciplinary hospitals in collaboration with leading Saudi partners. By 2030, a total of 5.3 billion Saudi riyals (approximately 1.4 billion US dollars) will be mobilized to support various operations conducted by Akdital and its financial partners. This development plan was presented at the Global Health Exhibition, one of the largest global trade shows in the sector. Akdital was among the international groups highlighted during the opening ceremony, a strong sign of recognition from Saudi authorities as the group begins its initial investments in the country. "Akdital has been well received by the Ministry of Investment and the Ministry of Health," emphasized Ilyas El Harti, the group's Deputy General Manager, during a video conference with the press from Riyadh on Wednesday morning. "It is a source of pride for us to see our hospital model recognized beyond our borders. This is a strong institutional signal regarding Morocco's influence in the region." According to El Harti, this recognition is due to Saudi Arabia's desire to attract foreign investors to the healthcare sector, which is undergoing significant transformation. Authorities are now encouraging the establishment of regional headquarters on their soil through various tax, financial, and regulatory incentives. "Akdital has chosen to fully capitalize on this by establishing its regional headquarters to serve the entire region. This sub-holding, linked to Akdital Morocco, will oversee projects in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where two projects are already underway." "Riyadh is a strategic choice," explains El Harti. "It is a market of 35 million inhabitants expected to exceed 50 million by 2035, with a growing need for healthcare infrastructure." The group aims to deploy up to 1,000 beds across several facilities, starting with the Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Mishari Hospital, which will be operational by 2026. A second "greenfield" project is already in development. Akdital plans to replicate the integrated model that has contributed to its success in Morocco, separating real estate and land assets (held by Saudi partners) from medical and operational investments (jointly financed by Akdital and its investors). The announced investment plan amounts to 5.3 billion Saudi riyals (1.4 billion USD), allocated as follows: 25% for real estate projects, 60% for operating expenses until 2030, and 15% for medical equipment and facilities, directly financed by Akdital and its partners. Akdital intends to finance its share through a bond issuance currently underway for 1.2 billion dirhams. The group aims to position itself in the "mid to high" segment, which is still under-served in Gulf countries. This choice is based on a detailed analysis of the Saudi market, where the high-end offer is saturated while the insured middle class has few quality alternatives. The expansion of Akdital in the Middle East also paves the way for the exchange of skills and expertise between Morocco and the region. The group plans to rely primarily on local resources—doctors, paramedics, and administrative staff—while promoting personnel exchanges and training between the two areas. The dual objective is to share Moroccan expertise in hospital management and import technological innovations from Gulf ecosystems, particularly in patient journey digitalization. In terms of numbers, the group aims to stabilize its model before providing new guidance to the market, as activities in the Gulf are more lucrative in terms of margins. However, the expansion roadmap, although slightly ahead of the initial schedule, remains unchanged, particularly in Morocco, where the group has surpassed 4,000 beds and now aims for 6,000 beds by 2025.