Nada Edlibi holds up her Saudi Arabian driver's license on the first day that she is legally allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia on June 24, 2018 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Nada Edlibi holds up her Saudi Arabian driver's license on the first day that she is legally allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia on June 24, 2018 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Nada Edlibi holds up her Saudi Arabian driver's license on the first day that she is legally allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia on June 24, 2018 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Nada Edlibi holds up her Saudi Arabian driver's license on the first day that she is legally allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia on June 24, 2018 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Imag

Saudi Arabia's $90 billion boost from women drivers


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Allowing Saudi women to drive could help the kingdom reap as much income as selling shares in Saudi Aramco.

The move, which went into effect on Sunday, could add as much as $90 billion to economic output by 2030, with the benefits extending beyond that date, according to Bloomberg Economics. Selling as much as 5 per cent stake in Saudi Arabian Oil Co. - at the most optimistic valuation - could generate about $100 billion.

Saudi Arabia ended its status as the last country on earth to prohibit women from taking to the wheel.

Fadya Fahad, 23, one of the first female drivers for Careem, a peer-to-peer ride sharing company similar to Uber, is seen in the driver's side mirror of a car she has rented on the first day she is legally allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia on June 24, 2018 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Fadya Fahad, 23, one of the first female drivers for Careem, a peer-to-peer ride sharing company similar to Uber, is seen in the driver's side mirror of a car she has rented on the first day she is legally allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia on June 24, 2018 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

“Lifting the ban on driving is likely to increase the number of women seeking jobs, boosting the size of the workforce and lifting overall incomes and output,” according to Ziad Daoud, Dubai-based chief Middle East economist for Bloomberg Economics.

“But it’ll take time before these gains are realized as the economy adapts to absorbing a growing number of women seeking work.”

Ending the ban is one of the most socially-consequential reforms implemented by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It’s also a key part of his plan to veer the economy from its reliance on oil.

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Saudi Arabia drivers ban:

Saudi Arabia lifts ban on women drivers - live updates

Road to reform: How Saudi Arabia lifted the ban on women drivers

Lifting of Saudi driving ban will be felt across GCC borders

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Ziad Daoud, Bloomberg Economics, said, “The participation of women in Saudi Arabia’s labour market is poor. With only 20 per cent of females in Saudi Arabia economically active, the country even lags behind its neighbours in the Gulf, where participation averaged 42 per cent in 2016. Recognizing this, the Saudi administration made raising the female participation rate one of its main targets in the National Vision 2030 program, designed to modernize Saudi society.”

Adding 1 percentage point to the Saudi participation rate every year might add about 70,000 more women a year to the labour market, according to Daoud. The larger participation of women will lift potential economic growth by as much as 0.9 percentage points a year, “depending on the proportion that chooses to work full or part-time,” he said.

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said ending the ban means “women will be more empowered and more mobile and I think they will participate more in the job market over time, so I think it’s going to contribute to the employment of females in Saudi Arabia.

“A secondary effect will probably be higher gasoline demand,” Al-Falih said in Vienna, where he was attending an OPEC meeting.

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2 Tadej Pocagar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:03

3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana 0:01:30

4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ

5 Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe         

6 Diego Ulissi (ITA) UAE Team Emirates  0:01:56

General Classification after Stage 3:

1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 12:30:02

2 Tadej Pocagar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:07

3  Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana 0:01:35

4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:40

5  Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe

6 Wilco Kelderman (NED) Team Sunweb)  0:02:06

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The flights 

Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.

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The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore  offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.

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UAE v Qatar

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Results

UAE beat Nigeria by five wickets

Hong Kong beat Canada by 32 runs

Friday fixtures

10am, Tolerance Oval, Abu Dhabi – Ireland v Jersey

7.30pm, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Canada v Oman

While you're here
Brief scores:

Scotland 371-5, 50 overs (C MacLeod 140 no, K Coetzer 58, G Munsey 55)

England 365 all out, 48.5 overs (J Bairstow 105, A Hales 52; M Watt 3-55)

Result: Scotland won by six runs

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