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Education and health care are important policy priorities in Bahrain’s wider drive to develop a knowledge-led economy. As the first country in the GCC region to introduce government-sponsored education, in 1919, Bahrain has a long track record of public instruction and a robust private education ecosystem that has developed in the subsequent years. Fostering the next generation of local talent and innovation is a key government objective that will continue to shape the sector in the coming years, from primary through to the higher and vocational levels. The kingdom is working to build on successive decades of gains in terms of health care outcomes, while at the same time evolving its services in response to the shifting burden of care towards lifestyle-related diseases.

With a relatively small but sophisticated market, Bahrain’s ICT sector is an important driver of export growth in the country, thanks to the scalability of software and services and supportive government policy. As the kingdom looks to capitalise on the digitisation gains made before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, economic recovery plans centre around further ICT development and cybersecurity preparedness. The authorities are seeking to attract regional and international investment not only in the sector itself, but also in other industries with sizeable IT requirements that Bahrain is well placed to serve. This chapter contains an interview with Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, Chief Executive, Information & eGovernment Authority.

The manufacturing sector is the second-largest contributor to non-oil GDP, behind financial services. Some of the kingdom’s key industrial players have expanded their production capacity in recent years, significantly bolstering heavy industry and downstream potential, most notably in the aluminium segment. Aluminium is Bahrain’s biggest non-oil export, and Aluminium Bahrain is integral to overall industrial performance. Strong logistics infrastructure is integrated with a network of industrial and free zones, where foreign and local investors enjoy a range of regionally competitive incentives. This chapter contains interviews with Ali Al Baqali, CEO, Aluminium Bahrain; and Abdulwahab Al Sadoun, Secretary-General, Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association.

The construction and real estate sectors are important contributors to Bahrain’s GDP, yet in the years preceding the pandemic both sectors displayed erratic growth due partly to oil price instability and the government’s fiscal consolidation programme. However, recent legislative amendments and strategic announcements are expected to reinvigorate the closely linked sectors and support the central goals of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, the overarching policy framework guiding the country’s development through to the end of the decade. A major infrastructure development drive, which includes a plan to expand Bahrain’s land mass by as much as 60%, alongside ongoing and recently announced upgrades to the industrial base, should drive construction and real estate growth. This chapter contains an interview with Mohammed Khalil Alsayed, CEO, Ithmaar Development Company.

Bahrain is an archipelagic nation, with most of its economic activity taking place across its four main interconnected islands: Bahrain, Al Muharraq, Sitra and Umm Al Nasan. In the planning stages as of mid-2022, a number of big-ticket transport infrastructure projects are set to facilitate a better flow of people, goods and services between – and across – the country’s borders. Looking ahead, the transport sector features prominently in the government’s post-pandemic economic recovery and development strategies, which aim to bolster transport infrastructure and transport-related revenue and increase the kingdom’s traversable landmass. This chapter contains an interview with Mohamed Yousif Albinfalah, CEO, Bahrain Airport Company.

Bahrain has targeted the tourism sector as a top driver of growth and diversification as the economy recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic. Indeed, as the only island nation in the Middle East and home to large-scale events such as the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix event, the country is well positioned to meet these goals. It has long been a top destination for travellers from Saudi Arabia – attracted by its entertainment, dining and shopping options – with the two countries connected via the King Fahd Causeway. Officials are looking to diversify both source markets and offerings, and have implemented a series of measures and projects aimed at meeting these objectives. This chapter contains an interview with Nasser Ali Qaedi, CEO, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority.