His Excellency Prof. Dr Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary-General of the Academy, chaired the 157th regular weekly meeting of the departments on Tuesday, 17 Dhul-Qa‘dah 1447 AH, corresponding to 5 May 2026, at the General Secretariat headquarters in Jeddah.

His Excellency began the meeting by welcoming the attendees and then spoke about the recent administrative changes. Dr Abdulfattah Abnaouf was appointed Acting Director of the Department of Research, and Dr Alhagi Manta Drammeh was appointed Acting Director of the Department of Planning, International Cooperation, External Relations, Archives, and Follow-up. His Excellency prayed for their success and guidance in carrying out their new responsibilities.

He also discussed in detail the correspondence exchanged between the Academy and the Organisation regarding staff promotions and adjustments to employment statuses. He reviewed the efforts made in this regard from 2021 until the end of April 2026, as well as the official responses and related communications received. His Excellency reaffirmed his continued commitment to following up on employees’ rights and striving to achieve fairness in employment matters, emphasising that the General Secretariat works to ensure that every deserving employee receives their due rights in accordance with approved regulations and procedures, and to prevent any form of injustice to the greatest extent possible.

The meeting concluded with several decisions, the most notable of which were:

• Communicating with the Office of the President of the Academy to set an appropriate date for holding the Bureau meeting.
• Finalising and printing the strategic plan for 2026–2030 after completing its introduction by the Secretary-General.

• Assigning the Department of Cabinet, Protocol and Legal Affairs to follow up on contracts signed with publishing houses and to monitor translation work with translators.