Bahrain sees USD 13 billion industrial projects in 5 years

Trade Arabia cited Dr Hassan Fakhro industry and commerce minister of Bahrain said that as saying that around BHD 5 billion will be invested in Bahrain International Investment Park in Hidd over the next few years. 71 projects at the facility will employ 8,000 people many of them Bahrainis.

Inaugurating the BHD 4.14 million Zayani Polymers plant, he said that the state of the art factory, the 28th to open at the BIIP already employs 70 people with an expansion on the cards in the near future. Another 23 projects are currently under construction and 20 more projects are in the pre construction stage.

Dr Fakhro said that among those setting up facilities in Bahrain are Singapore engineering company MTQ and Illium France which has commenced operations at its new JV with Bahraini company BFG. MTQ has already constructed a 9,000 square meters facility to provide specialist engineering services to companies in the oil and gas industry in the GCC.

He said that CPIC, the largest manufacturer of fiber glass in China is also planning to set up 45,000 square meters facility with the potential to employ up to 1,000 people. When we established the BIIP in 2005, we set about developing a facility that could support and nurture the development of the best of Bahraini and Middle East companies.

He added that we also set about creating an environment that could attract and support the leading manufacturing companies in the world and we are now well on the way to meeting both of these key targets.

Dr Fakhro said that some of the top family companies in Bahrain like Maskati Brothers, Mannai's Glass Tech and Awal Gulf Manufacturing are already there while from Saudi Arabia, the BIIP has Abahsain Group, Al Gosaibi Holdings and Arabian Sugar Company.

These Bahraini and regional investments have been augmented by BIIP providing a new GCC manufacturing home to Kraft Foods, the largest food manufacturing company in the US and to the two largest German manufacturing companies Siemens and BASF. We have also attracted three other companies from Germany Lauscha, RMA Pipeline Equipment and Paschal Formwork.