MANAMA: His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, highlighted the importance of industrial sector in reshaping the national economy.
HRH made these remarks during a visit to the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP) and the Arabian Sugar Company refinery at the Salman Industrial City in Hidd.
His Royal Highness met with officials from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, including investors and businessmen, to discuss the commercial benefits afforded by the world-class facilities of the Salman Industrial City, including the facilities to transport goods to other GCC markets. In doing so, His Royal Highness highlighted the importance of intra-GCC trade to the overall economic prosperity of the region.
His Royal Highness then emphasised the role of the industrial sector in creating more job opportunities and directly contributing to Bahrain’s GDP.
He reaffirmed the importance of investment in the industry and the development of innovative facilities to support the Kingdom’s economic diversification strategy and boost its global competitiveness.
His Royal Highness added that the Kingdom is set to see a significant improvement in the industrial and manufacturing sector due to a wide range of infrastructure and development projects being supported directly by the government as well as through the GCC Development Programme. He also stressed the importance linking industrial land plots with infrastructure and logistics services to further Bahrain’s standing as a sustainable economy and attractive business environment.
His Royal Highness toured the BIIP where His Excellency Dr. Hasan Abdulla Fakhro, Minister of Trade and Commerce spoke of the ministry’s role in attracting businesses to the Kingdom. His Excellency Dr. Hassan highlighted that how the BIIP, comprising an area of 2.5 million square metres, is able to house large manufacturing companies.
The BIIP is currently hosting 48 Bahraini companies as part of its support to local manufacturing, in addition to 25 Arab and international companies, with a total of USD 850 million in investments.
His Royal Highness also toured the National Institute of Industrial Training (NIIT), which provides Bahrainis with industrial training to develop their skills in line with the industrial markets.
As part of the visit to BIIP, His Royal Highness also toured the Arabian Sugar Company refinery in order to gain insight into the latest upgrades aimed at increasing production and efficiency levels at this operation.
While at the Arabian Sugar Company refinery, His Royal Highness was given a presentation by the facility’s Chief Executive regarding the production process, and the company’s future strategy for increasing its production, which also detailed its confidence in Bahrain’s future prospects for growth in the Industrial sector.
His Royal Highness reaffirmed the continuous efforts provided by the government to attract local and international businesses and invest in Bahrain’s economy, as part of aims to further strengthen the Kingdom’s economy.
Also attending the site visit was His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, son of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Salman Industrial City is purpose-built for companies looking to set up manufacturing or industrial operations to service the $1 trillion- plus Gulf market. With world class facilities for industrial development, Salman Industrial City is suitably located in a logistics hub next to the new Khalifa bin Salman Port and close to surrounding infrastructure such as the Bahrain International Airport and the 25 km King Fahad Causeway to Saudi Arabia, enabling easy transfer of goods.