Crown Prince outlines nation’s key development priorities during presentation at Government Forum 2016

Manama, Sep. 18 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, today delivered a presentation at Bahrain’s Government Forum 2016, held under the patronage of His Royal Highness the Prime Minister, detailing the key priorities of Bahrain’s next phase of development. The Crown Prince’s presentation began with tribute being paid to the role of Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030, which he said has underpinned the country’s development since it was launched by His Majesty King Hamad eight years ago. The Crown Prince emphasised that this vision, a first for Bahrain, established the principles of sustainability, fairness and competitiveness as the framework for the development of the economy, and that these principles will continue to underpin efforts to enhance government performance and to translate development goals into tangible results that directly benefit Bahrain’s citizens. During the presentation His Royal Highness also outlined achievements made under Economic Vision 2030 that have supported Bahrain’s economic, governmental, and social development, including continued diversification efforts that have resulted in non-oil sectors now accounting for 80% of GDP; an impressive 28 per cent growth in the size of the economy; a threefold increase in international investments into the Kingdom from 2009 to 2014; and a 47 per cent increase in the average income of Bahraini families. Regarding government achievements, His Royal Highness highlighted the role new regulatory bodies have played in improving the quality of public services provided to citizens, remarking that Bahrain is considered 1st among Arab countries in e-government readiness, and has maintained this rank for four consecutive years. His Royal Highness also noted the decisive steps the government has taken to increase competitiveness and liberalise the telecommunications sector, which has grown to become the leading sector in terms of providing employment opportunities for Bahrainis (67%). Speaking about social development, His Royal Highness stressed that the development of five major social housing projects, which have already begun construction, will deliver the largest number of housing units in Bahrain's history. His Royal Highness also highlighted the support provided to Bahrain's youth and sports sectors, saying that 125 sports facilities have been established across the Kingdom, and that the successful hosting of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix, which has contributed to the demand of Bahraini organisational expertise in this field by other countries, is yet another milestone in the country’s youth and sports development. The Crown Prince went on to highlight three key goals for the country going forward, including: • First: To strengthen efforts to redefine the role of the public sector from the primary engine of economic growth into a private sector enabler and regulator – particularly across the tourism, logistics, manufacturing, ICT, and financial services sectors. • Second: To facilitate innovation and increase competitiveness. • Third: To continue to invest in citizens and further improve their living standards. Regarding specific government action that will help to achieve these goals, the Crown Prince noted the welcome introduction of four tools: • Enhancing public services, mainly housing, healthcare, and education services, and the transformation of government services into state-of-the-art e-services • Enhancing legislative and regulatory frameworks in order to strengthen Bahrain’s international competiveness • The simplification of government procedures • And the continued introduction of substantial infrastructure investment, which is in excess of BHD 32.5 billion and will be injected into social infrastructure (BHD 7.5 billion), industrial infrastructure (BHD 10 billion), and private sector investments (BHD 15 million). His Royal Highness also noted that this will be complimented by the Urban Development Strategy and industrial zones that provide added benefits for foreign investors. The Crown Prince concluded his presentation by emphasising that the next phase of Bahrain’s development features ambitious targets, but stressed that he is confident in the government’s ability to deliver those targets, should it continue to follow the principles of Economic Vision 2030, and use the aforementioned objectives and tools to inform and implement policies.