NEOM’s ambitious concept-to-project transition presents funding, feasibility challenges 

Al-Monitor Pro Members

Dr. Robert Mogielnicki  

Senior Resident Scholar, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, DC

Sept. 20, 2022

The ever-more ambitious concepts behind NEOM’s development have garnered global curiosity and substantial media buzz. Yet NEOM project officials must contend with serious funding and feasibility challenges. Dedicated financial resources from the state can help planners overcome some challenges, enabling various aspects of the megaproject to move ahead. The most futuristic and experimental elements of NEOM are likely to be scaled back or abandoned in place of new plans. NEOM is therefore unlikely to be a spectacular failure or a stunning success. A steady stream of new announcements will obscure slow progress on the ground and reprioritization of the megaproject’s components. Data below.