KUWAIT CITY, March 26: Minister of Public Works and Municipality, Dr Fadel Safar Ali Safar announced that the current development plan included about 324 major infrastructure projects and subprojects with investments totaling about 3.5 billion KD for the fiscal year 2012-13.

“For the ministry of public works the total number of projects would be around 146 projects,” he said in his address at the Infrastructure Investment Kuwait Summit held at the Crowne Plaza, Monday morning.
He added, “We strongly believe that the construction of tangible infrastructure facilities is the backbone of economic and social development. The government and the private sector are heavily engaged in the implementation of the goals, policies and the projects of our development plan which covers the period 2010/2011-2013/14.”

He disclosed that the development efforts face many challenges, hurdles and constraints due to the geopolitical position of Kuwait; these were not mere justifications but real facts of life which the planners would have to adapt to. “We are surrounded by external regional factors and exceptional circumstances which negatively affect our abilities to accelerate development and push forward the implementation of many vital projects,” said Minister Safar.

Plan
He stressed that the comprehensive development plan for Kuwait covers various types of projects in all social and economic sectors. Physical and human projects were being treated as one package since they reflect an integrated approach in the planning and development vision.

He remarked that priorities are given to infrastructure projects since they are considered the foundations and pillars of development and that it is vital that all infrastructure projects include human resources development programs to enable Kuwaitis to manage and run the facilities and the services in the projects.

He also emphasized the need for comprehensive regularity reforms to ensure that our development focus moves from a traditional view to a more dynamic approach for more efficiency, a greater transparency and a special attention to the basics of sustainable development.

He expressed determination to enhance and support the expansion of the role of the private sector in planning and development.

He also informed that the ongoing development efforts focus on stimulating economic growth and accelerating the implementation of infra-structure projects. The government is advocating the transformation of economic growth patterns and social changes to secure balanced distribution of infrastructure facilities and services all over the country. “The progress that we have made in response to development needs is necessary but not sufficient to meet the stated objectives and policies of the national plan,” he said.

“Development and progress cannot be fulfilled without fostering political, social and economic stability this is essential to secure the business environment and to make sure that companies and contractors will be working under safe conditions with no risks or unforeseen circumstances, for this reason the government of Kuwait considers political, social, and economic stability as the gateway to development, progress and successful implementation of our national plan,” he concluded.

Infrastructure
He also outlined the leading infrastructure projects for the ministries of health, interior, justice and education. He relayed that an aggressive programme for the construction and enhancement of roadways was being followed, “Roads are the first signs of a country’s progress and development. Thus Kuwait has an excellent network of highways and roads leading in various directions from the center connecting the regions among the country with each other.”

The first day programme of the conference included the identifying of infrastructure projects and investment opportunities in Kuwait and modernising infrastructure and standards to attract international and local investment. A current overview of infrastructure development in Kuwait was provided by Hashem Al Tabtabaei, Technical Team Leader of the partnerships Technical Bureau.
A panel discussion evaluating the different types of financing models for infrastructure projects was followed by a presentation on designing and evaluating risk management strategies for PPP by Dr Robert Booth, Associate Director of Atkins. Infrastructure opportunities in the GCC countries in areas of power, communication, aviation, roads, seaports and water were highlighted by Raghu Mandagolathur Senior Vice-president and Head of Research of Kuwait Financial Centre.

Public Private Partnerships were looked at extensively in an examination of risks, benefits, advantages, the contractual structure and responsibilities, financing, and evaluating how government ministries and authorities can effectively engage the market to promote their tendering.