Interview: Mahmood Al Kooheji How have low oil prices affected investments and the regional economic forecast more generally? MAHMOOD AL KOOHEJI: While oil price volatility may have some impact in the non-oil sector, the long-term picture in the region is strong. The effect has been minimal for Mumtalakat and will not impact our ability to make investments. We finance ourselves in the international…
Interview: Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi What can be done to entice large companies to continue investing in Bahrain? EBRAHIM MOHAMMED JANAHI: All businesses look for growth and development opportunities, regardless of their size. For large international companies, options are evaluated based on the location of their investments to ensure that they return adequate growth. As such, they generally look for…
Interview: Hisham Al Rayes How would you rate the government’s approach to the current fiscal situation? HISHAM AL RAYES: In 2016 we have witnessed serious efforts by the government to operate like a corporation, with a sound approach to managing its balance sheet. Firm steps are being taken towards diversifying the economy, including many positive reforms, such as significant reductions in both…
Interview:Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa What are the major projects going forward this year, and how is Bahrain set apart from others in the region making similar investments? SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN KHALIFA BIN AHMED AL KHALIFA: Bahrain is continuing to play an important energy role in the region. The Bapco Modernisation Programme (BMP) is one example, designed to optimise the…
Interview: Mohammed Khalil Alsayed Having pioneered the first housing public-private partnership (PPP) in the GCC, what improvements would you suggest for the future? MOHAMMED KHALIL ALSAYED: At the outset, we need to hail the vision and thinking for this breakthrough policy initiative. We have reason to believe that the earlier PPP model drew heavily from the UK’s private finance initiative experience,…
Interview: Faisal Faqeeh How would you describe the growth prospects of Bahrain’s real estate market in 2016? FAISAL FAQEEH: My main complaint now would be that investors are being overly cautious and just trying to watch the market and see how it behaves before spending any of their own money. Banks are not financing real estate projects, claiming they are too risky, while individual investors…
Interview: Sheikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa What is being done to cultivate more destinations and activities across Bahrain? SHEIKH KHALED BIN HUMOOD AL KHALIFA: The BTEA has designed a strategy called the “Four As”: accessibility, attractions, accommodation and awareness. To increase accessibility, we have looked at our target markets and are working to improve accessibility for each one.…
Interview: Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifa What position does logistics hold within the wider context of Bahrain’s economy? SHEIKH AHMED BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA: Customs Affairs is just one cog in the large plan of Vision 2030, as it applies to logistics, one of the key sectors identified by the crown prince, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, as a priority for future development. So far, the…
Interview: Riyad Y Hamzah How is education policy being developed to attract more overseas students to UoB? RIYAD Y HAMZAH: As part of our efforts to attract foreign students, UoB expects to have a 25% foreign student population by 2021. We expect to achieve this through the internationalisation pillar of our transformation plan, which will come about through a combination of academic excellence…
Interview: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa What is the status of reform efforts to the health care system in Bahrain? SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN ABDULLAH AL KHALIFA: The country is launching our holistic and integrated National Health Plan 2016-25, which aims to pave the way for reforms in the national health sector in line with the objectives specified in Economic Vision 2030. Recent developments…
