As the region faces up to the challenge of the recent drop in oil prices, Bahrain’s fundamentals indicate the kingdom is well positioned to weather the dip. The focus on diversification goals outlined in Economic Vision 2030 is helping establish a more competitive and sustainable economy in the kingdom. The financial sector, which represents Bahrain’s second-largest GDP contributor, has continued to recover robustly since the global economic downturn.
Plans for increased spending on infrastructure developments are set to support further growth in Bahrain’s industrial sector via improved transport links and the construction of new large-scale facilities. However, falling oil revenue may impact funding availability for some capital works, potentially cooling long-term prospects in the sector.
A good transport system is a key enabler in any economy, but in the case of Bahrain, an island country, this holds particularly true. Although the nation has relatively small reserves of oil and gas, it has historically been a trading centre, and in the 1970s and 1980s it emerged as the main entrepôt for the Gulf region. As an open economy with a...
There are only three possible entry points to Bahrain: by airport, by the King Fahd Causeway (which links the island to Saudi Arabia) and by port. With the bulk of Bahrain’s imports and a large proportion of its exports entering and leaving by sea, the strength of maritime transport is thus something of a barometer for the overall economic health of...
As part of its economic diversification strategy, Vision 2030, Bahrain is planning to develop an internal public transport network and to build rail connections to both Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Bahrain’s Ministry of Transport is in the process of finalising the country’s railway master plan, which was due to be completed by the end of 2012, but no...
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