Industry
From The Report: Kuwait 2025
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Kuwait’s industry sector occupies a key position in the country’s diversification agenda, balancing the challenges of global market volatility with domestic priorities for sustainable growth. The sector has been reshaped by regulatory modernisation, infrastructure investment and strategic initiatives aimed at reducing reliance on hydrocarbons. Although manufacturing remains a relatively modest contributor to GDP, the government has placed industry at the heart of its New Kuwait 2035 roadmap and National Industrial Strategy 2035, which seek to elevate value-added production, attract foreign direct investment and expand employment opportunities. Kuwait’s industry sector enters 2026 positioned between continuity and transformation. Anchored in chemicals and steel, the sector is expanding into pharmaceuticals, food and advanced manufacturing. While headwinds – including inflationary pressures, labour challenges and regional competition – persist, ongoing infrastructure projects, rising foreign direct investment and policy reforms provide momentum for growth

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Overview

Competitive ecosystem: Governmental regulations provide the framework for long-term diversification, while pharmaceuticals and food manufacturing emerge as areas for investment opportunities
OBG
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Kuwait’s industry sector occupies a key position in the country’s diversification agenda, balancing the challenges of global market volatility with domestic priorities for sustainable growth. The sector has been reshaped by regulatory modernisation, infrastructure investment and strategic initiatives aimed at reducing reliance on hydrocarbons. Although manufacturing remains a relatively modest contributor to GDP, the government has placed industry at the heart of its New Kuwait 2035 roadmap and National Industrial Strategy (NIS) 2035, which seek to elevate value-added production, attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and expand employment…

Analysis

Patent pulse: The GCC region is successfully localising supply chains and creating high-value employment opportunities
OBG
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International patent applications via the Patent Cooperation Treaty reached approximately 273,900 in 2024, representing a modest 0.5% increase following a slight decline recorded the previous year. Within this global context, Saudi Arabia has demonstrated a remarkable growth trajectory, with the World Intellectual Property Organisation citing the Kingdom for its exceptional rises in filing activity. Domestic patent applications at the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property reached a high of 8029 in 2024, marking a substantial 13.3% year-on-year increase. This momentum is reflected in the 2025 Global Innovation Index, where the UAE leads the…

Analysis

Green solutions: The MENA region is poised to lead global steel decarbonisation
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As global industry seeks to reduce or eliminate its carbon footprint, a number of MENA countries are investing in green steel production to capture market share and help meet emissions targets. Industry generates 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions annually, with the steel manufacturing segment accounting for the largest share, at 7%, due in part to a reliance on coal to heat smelting furnaces. According to a September 2022 report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, the MENA region is well positioned to lead global steel decarbonisation due to its use of lower-emissions smelting processes and planned developments…