Saudi Press Agency

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA; ) is the state news agency of Saudi Arabia, and is headquartered in the capital, Riyadh. It was established in 1971 during the reign of King Faisal bin Abdulaziz.

History and profile

The agency was established in 1971 as the first national news agency in Saudi Arabia in response to the need for an official media platform due to a limited number of news outlets at the time.[1][2] The agency is also the first news agency in the Arabian Gulf region.[3] The Saudi government stated that the agency's purpose was to serve as a central body to collect and distribute local and international news.[4]

In 2012, it was announced that the SPA would become an independent body as part of a government restructuring.

SPA Academy for News Training

The Saudi Press Agency announced in February 2024 its first news training academy, SPA Academy for News Training. According to the SPA, the academy aims to develop professional skills in journalism, support market needs, and promote the transfer of knowledge, technology, and modern tools for news production. The SPA stated that the first phase of the academy included signing cooperation agreements with several local and international organizations, including the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, the Prince Mohammad bin Salman College of Business and Entrepreneurship, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), King Abdulaziz University, the National Center for E-Learning, and Microsoft.[11][12]

In October 2024, Minister of Media Salman bin Yousif Al Dossary inaugurated the SPA Academy for News Training at the Saudi Press Agency Building in Riyadh.[13]

In August 2025, the SPA Academy for News Training announced the launch of the first phase of its four-stage program, the Media Leaders Track, held in Switzerland in collaboration with EHL Hospitality Business School.[14]

Saudi Photo Platform

The Minister of Media, Salman bin Yousif Al Dossary, announced the launch of the Saudi Photo Platform at the second edition of the Hajj Media Forum in June 2025. The digital initiative was designed to offer public access to SPA's collection of images and make them available for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.[15]

Scientific portal

In September 2022, the Saudi Press Agency announced the launch of a portal for scientific research and related news. SPA described the platform as its first initiative at a national level focused on scientific content.[16]

SPA then-President Fahd bin Hassan Al Aqran stated that the portal was created to diversify the agency's coverage and provide a "media window" on research and innovation in Saudi Arabia. According to the SPA, the portal supports the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 related to developing a knowledge-based economy and strengthening research institutions.[17]

Also in September 2022, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) was announced as the first scientific partner of the portal.[16]

agency name	Saudi Press Agency
nativename	وكالة الأنباء السعودية
nativename a	SPA
nativename r	واس
formed	1970
jurisdiction	Government of Saudi Arabia
headquarters	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
chief1 name	Dr. Fahd bin Hassan Al Aqran
chief1 position	President
parent agency	Ministry of Media
website	www.spa.gov.sa

History and profile

Activities

SPA Academy for News Training

Saudi Photo Platform

Scientific portal

See also

External links

References