Economy

Various developments point to healthy economic performance in the near term for Kuwait. Chief among them are the upgrade of the country’s stock exchange, which has been approved for addition to the MSCI Emerging Markets Index; the continuing roll-out of a large infrastructure programme; and the transition into higher value-added downstream production within the country’s leading hydrocarbons industry. Meanwhile, prudent macroeconomic policies – including building one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds – have helped Kuwait weather the recent protracted downturn in oil and gas prices. Foreign investment has been welcomed as Kuwait capitalises on its strong regional and international connections to mobilise global interest.

This chapter contains an interview with Khaled Mahdi, Secretary-General, Supreme Council for Planning and Development.