meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Bahrain industrial strategy aligns with GCC goals

19 December 2023

 

Register for MEED's guest programme 

With limited energy resources and land compared with its larger neighbours, Bahrain needs a targeted industrial strategy that supports economic development across the region and plays to the island kingdom’s strengths. 

“We look to complement the GCC rather than compete,” says Industry and Commerce Minister Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro. 

“We always look for industries where we can fit in each other’s supply chains so that we can substitute imports from outside of the GCC with products from within the GCC.”

The ministry has a strategy for each of its key sectors, with most starting in 2022 and typically running for four years. The strategies encompass industry, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and digital businesses. Targets include increasing contribution to overall GDP.

Target sectors

Bahrain’s industrial strategy covers five main target sectors.

“Downstream aluminium is very important because we have Alba [Aluminium Bahrain], which is the largest single-site smelter outside of China and continues to expand and grow production,” says Fakhro. 

“We have a new downstream aluminium park to the south of Alba, and the big advantage for companies there is they can buy hot metal.

“We also provide other incentives, such as low-cost land and energy, and provide support with the purchase of equipment. 

“Through the labour fund Tamkeen we can help with the workforce.”

There are also plans to expand Alba with the Line 7 project. Last year, a firm was appointed to complete the feasibility study for the project, which is expected to have a similar production capacity to the Line 6 expansion project – within the range of 540,000 metric tonnes a year.

Petrochemicals is another major industry for Bahrain.

“We have a presence in that sector with Bapco Energies and GPIC [Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company]. They are major producers, so downstream petrochemicals is another opportunity,” says Fakhro. 

Like aluminium, there will be a significant increase in capacity in the near future as the $7bn Bapco Modernisation Programme (BMP), which involves boosting the total throughput at the Sitra refinery to 400,000 barrels a day (b/d) of oil, enters the final stages.

The other three industrial sectors are food manufacturing, medicine production and new sectors including semiconductors and the production of components for use in renewable energies. 

In-country value

To support local industries, Bahrain is establishing an in-country value system that determines a supplier’s local content, similar to those implemented in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

“Companies with a good in-country value score get a 10 per cent advantage on government tenders,” says Fakhro. 

Bahrain is also working with other GCC states to create an in-GCC programme. “What we are trying to do with this is jointly recognise other countries’ [in-country] value. This means a product produced in Bahrain would get an advantage in another market, such as Saudi Arabia or the UAE,” says Fakhro.

“Likewise, a GCC employee would be equivalent to hiring a local employee. We are looking at different ways to become one market.”

These programmes are still being negotiated, with discussions at the GCC currently centred on determining what constitutes a GCC product.

“That is the start. When we have a clear definition of what a GCC product is, then we can open the doors,” says Fakhro.

As a small country with a long history of being a trading hub, Bahrain is keen to access larger markets. Hence its industrial strategy is outward-looking. As well as working on a GCC-wide in-county value system, there have been several other key developments in recent years.

“We have a very interesting project funded by [Abu Dhabi-based holding company] ADQ. It has four countries: the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain and Jordan. This group of countries came together soon after the Covid-19 pandemic to complete each other’s supply chain,” says Fakhro. 

Known as the Integrated Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Development, ADQ has backed the partnership with $10bn of investment. Its target sectors are agriculture, food, fertilisers, medicines, textiles and apparel, metals, petrochemicals and plastic.

We have a highly skilled workforce that is well-educated with a strong work ethic

Other focus areas

Semiconductors are of particular interest to Bahrain and the country hopes to play an active role in this sector. 

“We are interested in that sector. The world realised that this sector will be critical in the future, and there needs to be manufacturing in other parts of the world so that one nation does not have a monopoly. 

“The sector suits Bahrain because it does not require a lot of energy or land,” says Fakhro. 

“Bahrain’s big asset is its people. We have a highly skilled workforce that is well-educated with a strong work ethic. This attracts all types of businesses in many sectors, especially in advanced manufacturing and the ICT sector,” says Fakhro.

Another important area of focus for the ministry is supporting SMEs and local startups.

“We are working hard to improve the ecosystem for SMEs,” says Fakhro. “The major challenge for SMEs is access to financing. This is not only in Bahrain; it is a worldwide challenge. Bahrain is home to over 300 multinational banks, but still, that doesn’t by default mean that SMEs have easy access to money.”  

The other challenge is access to international markets. “Especially when you look at sectors such as manufacturing, Bahrain will give you limited growth potential. We support SMEs with exports. We have a government-owned entity, Export Bahrain, that facilitates export support for Bahraini companies, including SMEs.”

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11372518/main.gif
Colin Foreman

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Egypt strengthens its economic position

    4 March 2026

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15858071/main.gif
    MEED Editorial
  • Power and water assets face strategic risk amid Iran attacks

    4 March 2026

     

    Recent attacks on energy infrastructure across the GCC have drawn renewed attention to the strategic importance of the region’s power and water sector.

    On 2 March, Qatar’s Ministry of Defence announced that the country had come under two drone attacks launched from Iran.

    One drone targeted a water tank owned by Mesaieed Power Plant, while another targeted a power facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City.

    Elsewhere in the region, Saudi Aramco shut down its Ras Tanura refinery following a drone strike, while US cloud provider Amazon Web Services reported service outages after incidents at two data centres in the UAE.

    Desalination reliance

    Across the GCC, desalination now provides the majority of drinking water. In Kuwait, about 90% of potable water comes from desalination plants, while the figure is about 70% in Saudi Arabia. In the UAE and Oman, the figures are 42% and 86%, respectively. While the geopolitical narrative tends to be dominated by oil, it is power and water infrastructure that is perhaps most critical to everyday life.

    For instance, the Ras Al-Khair desalination plant in Saudi Arabia is among the largest operational facilities of its kind. According to MEED Projects, the plant produces about 1.1 million cubic metres a day (cm/d) of desalinated water.

    Using a typical domestic water consumption benchmark of roughly 250 litres per person per day, that output is sufficient to supply potable water for around four million people.

    Other large projects operate on a similar scale. The Yanbu phase 3 desalination plant produces roughly 550,000 cm/d, while the Shuaibah 3 independent water project (IWP), commissioned near Jeddah last year, has a capacity of 600,000 cm/d. Facilities of this scale can supply drinking water to populations of between two million and four million people.

    The region’s reliance on large coastal desalination facilities also creates structural vulnerabilities, as most plants are located along the Gulf coastline to allow seawater intake.

    Many are also integrated with thermal power plants, producing electricity and desalinated water at the same site. This configuration offers operational efficiencies, but concentrates critical infrastructure in a limited number of locations.

    In February, Kuwait signed a 25-year energy conversion and water purchase agreement for the Al-Zour North independent water and power plant (IWPP) phases two and three. Once completed, the facility will add 2,700MW of power and 545,000 cm/d of desalinated water to Kuwait’s supply network

    Separately, Kuwait’s Council of Ministers recently approved plans for the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (Kapp) to tender the first phase of the Nuwaiseeb power and water desalination plant as an IWPP project. The first phase of the scheme will have an estimated power generation capacity of 3,600MW and a desalination capacity of 341,000 cm/d.

    While several GCC states maintain strategic water storage reserves, these typically cover only a limited number of days of consumption in major cities. This makes water infrastructure one of the most sensitive categories of critical assets in the region.

    Electricity infrastructure

    Standalone electricity infrastructure is equally central to the functioning of GCC economies. Power generation supports residential demand, large industrial complexes, transport networks and digital infrastructure.

    One example is the UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi, which has a total capacity of 5.6GW across four reactors. According to Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec), the plant’s four APR1400 reactors produce 40TWh annually, which is equivalent to around 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs.

    At the same time, Gulf electricity systems are becoming increasingly interconnected. The GCC Interconnection Authority grid links the national networks of member states and enables countries to exchange electricity during periods of peak demand or supply disruption.

    According to WorldBank studies, desalination plants typically operate continuously because water storage capacity is limited relative to demand. Similarly, power grids must balance supply and demand in real time.

    Amid ongoing missile and drone attacks on GCC states, Iran said on Monday that it was closing off the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime route. GCC countries import roughly 85% of their food, much of it transported by sea, while the strait handles about a fifth of global oil supply. Disruptions to power and water infrastructure across the region could have even more immediate consequences.

    READ THE MARCH 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Riyadh urges private sector to take greater role; Chemical players look to spend rationally; Economic uptick lends confidence to Cairo’s reforms.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the March 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15856956/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Algeria tenders multiple railway consultancy contracts

    4 March 2026

    Algeria’s state railway company, Agence Nationale d’Etudes et de Suivi de la Realisation des Investissements Ferroviaires (Anesrif), has tendered several consultancy tenders for various railway schemes in the country.

    The first tender was issued for the study of the new Bouinane/Meftah/Khemis El-Khechna railway line.

    The tender was issued on 3 March, with a bid submission deadline of 12 April.

    The second tender covers the detailed study of the Sidi Arcine railway station.

    The tender for the project was floated on 1 March. The bid submission deadline is 30 March.

    The other tender covers the completion of the study of the Zeralda/Gouraya railway line.

    The notice was floated in late February, with a bid submission deadline of the end of March.

    The latest consultancy tenders follow Anesrif’s formal start of the procurement process for its multibillion-dollar Laghouat-Ghardaia-El-Meniaa railway project, as MEED reported earlier this week.

    International and local firms have been given until 8 March to submit expressions of interest for the overall client’s engineer role on the 495-kilometre-long railway development.

    Consultancies have also been given until 12 March for two separate contracts covering the project supervision and control of the first 265km-long element between Laghouat and Ghardaia, and the 230km-long line between Ghardaia and El-Meniaa.

    This Laghouat-Ghardaia section, which is estimated to cost about $1.4bn, will comprise 21 viaducts, one tunnel, 55 pipe crossings and five stations.

    The 230km-long Ghardaia to El-Meniaa second section will start at Metlili station and extend south to El-Meniaa. It will comprise six viaducts, 35 railway structures and three stations, and have an estimated total construction cost of about $1.2bn.

    The speed of passenger trains on the railway will be 220 kilometres an hour (km/h) and 100km/h for freight trains.

    The solicitations of interest for the construction of the two sections were originally scheduled for February, but to date have not been released.

    READ THE MARCH 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Riyadh urges private sector to take greater role; Chemical players look to spend rationally; Economic uptick lends confidence to Cairo’s reforms.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the March 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15855965/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Conflict has limited impact on GCC projects

    4 March 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    The conflict in the Gulf has so far had a limited impact on projects in the GCC, with most sites operating normally since hostilities began on 28 February. In total, there are 6,738 projects under execution across the GCC, with a combined value of $951bn, according to regional projects tracker MEED Projects.

    Contracting companies in the region say that the majority of their projects have not been affected by the conflict, and work has continued onsite without disruption. However, a few sites have temporarily halted operations, either at the request of the authorities or because they were considered at risk due to their strategic locations.

    “Work has continued on our projects in Dubai. We have only one site where we were asked to stop work,” says a contractor overseeing projects across Dubai.

    Another contractor operating across the UAE has also continued work but halted operations at one site following a nearby security incident. “We have one site that was close to a facility that was struck by debris, so we stopped work,” the contractor says.

    Work has also continued on projects outside of the UAE. In Saudi Arabia and Qatar, contractors continue to work on projects, including strategically sensitive oil and gas projects. “We have continued work on most of our projects. There are a few sites where we have been asked to stop work, but this is the minority, and at most sites we are still working,” says an international contractor.

    Supply chain concerns

    While operations largely continue as normal, there are concerns that projects could be impacted later due to supply chain disruption. Ports in the region have been targets, and with international shipping passing through the Strait of Hormuz effectively stopping, there is an expectation that international shipments will be delayed. A related concern is the sharp spike in oil prices that will be inflationary.

    How the disruption is handled will depend on the terms of specific contracts and on how companies choose to navigate the issue. The general consensus among contractors and lawyers is that it is not a force majeure event. Instead, it is general disruption that should be noted and documented, should there be cost or time implications later in the project.

    One Dubai-based contractor said the strategy for now is to support clients as best as possible amid this uncertainty, while noting that there may be cost implications later.

    The region has been considered a safe place for tourism, and also for the rich to live in a tax-free haven. The attacks on Dubai may change that perception, and that will impact the market in the future
    International contractor

    Future prospects

    There are also concerns about the market’s future. There have been record levels of contract awards in recent years, and the worry is that the pace of contract awards may slow as uncertainty grips the market.

    At the same time, some contract awards have been expedited. One Dubai-based contractor has signed two contracts since the conflict started. “We have signed deals that had been lingering for a while. I think the logic is that the client wants to lock in resources before prices or anything else changes,” says the contractor.

    Longer term, it is expected that priorities for construction could shift. Contractors say that defence will become more of a priority for governments in the future, and so will strategic infrastructure projects such as power and water.

    There might also be increased interest in making infrastructure more secure, which will add an additional layer of complexity for construction companies. “Facilities like data centres may be located underground in the future to protect them from attacks,” says a UAE-based contractor.

    The outlook for other sectors is more challenged, particularly real estate and tourism.

    “The region has been considered a safe place for tourism, and also for the rich to live in a tax-free haven,” says the international contractor. “The attacks on Dubai may change that perception, and that will impact the market in the future. Tourism is a key component of national visions across the GCC, so I think there will have to be a rethink of economic strategies for the future.”

    READ THE MARCH 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Riyadh urges private sector to take greater role; Chemical players look to spend rationally; Economic uptick lends confidence to Cairo’s reforms.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the March 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15855051/main.jpg
    Colin Foreman
  • Contractors begin Riyadh metro Line 2 extension works

    4 March 2026

    Contractors have started construction on two new metro stations within King Saud University, as part of the Riyadh Metro Line 2 extension.

    In a statement published on its website, the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) said that the first station will serve the University Medical City and health colleges, and the second station will serve the university concourse.

    In July last year, MEED exclusively reported that RCRC had awarded an estimated $800m-$900m contract for the project.

    The contract was awarded to the Arriyadh New Mobility Consortium, led by Italy’s Webuild. 

    The group also includes India’s Larsen & Toubro, Saudi Arabia’s Nesma & Partners and France’s Alstom.

    The Line 2 extension is 8.4 kilometres (km) long, of which 1.3km is elevated and 7.1km is underground. It includes five stations – two elevated and three underground.

    It will run from where Line 2 currently ends at King Saud University, then travel to new stations at KSU Medical City, KSU West and Diriyah East, where it interchanges with the planned Line 7, and finally to Diriyah South.

    In 2013, the Arriyadh New Mobility Consortium secured Riyadh Metro’s Line 3 project for $5.21bn.

    Line 3, also known as the Orange Line, stretches from east to west, from Jeddah Road to the Second Eastern Ring Road, covering a total distance of 41km. 

    READ THE MARCH 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Riyadh urges private sector to take greater role; Chemical players look to spend rationally; Economic uptick lends confidence to Cairo’s reforms.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the March 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15855032/main.png
    Yasir Iqbal