CP GIVES DIRECTIVES TO IMPLEMENT THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC STRATEGY
The Crown Prince and Chairman of the Economic Development Board (EDB) Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa gave directives today during his chairing of the board meeting at Riffa Palace on the urgency of both the public and private sector bodies, to take the initiative towards implementing the national economic strategy.
Shaikh Salman said that it was important to move forward with implementing the mechanisms necessary so that the citizen feels the effect of the comprehensive economic growth directly.
The Crown Prince said it was important that precise planning is undertaken and expenditure be studied to support Bahrain’s economy and raise productivity which in turn helps in elevating the living standards of citizens.
He also affirmed the need to develop legislation to combat corruption and bribery in all its forms and criminalizing irregularities related shareholders’ money.
He said it was important to provide the necessary legislation that would insure the shareholders’ rights and money.
Within this context the board agreed to present an amendment of the penalty law to the Cabinet related to adding a new section entitled “Bribery and Embezzlement” in the public sector to raise the abilities of the private sector in actively leading development and optimum utilization of resources.
Moreover,the board indicated that such a move would also embed the principles of transparency and equal opportunities which is the core of the Economic Vision 2030 and which includes justice.
Meanwhile, the board was briefed by the EDB’s CEO Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa on the board’s performance report during the first quarter of 2009 and reviewed the report which included achievements accomplished through the follow-up of initiatives of the national economic strategy and Economic Vision 2030.
The report also included marketing the vision 2030 locally and globally to contribute towards attracting more foreign investment and the launch of the specialised media centre in promoting the strategic economic vision, in addition to coordinating with ministries and related bodies to achieve this.
Then the board reviewed the planned strategy for Mumtalakat holding company presented by its CEO Talal Al Zain that is compatible with the national economic strategy.
The presentation was welcomed by the Crown Prince and board members which was a comprehensive one and which included the company’s activities and achievements, along with future plans.
The report also included the efforts being exerted to organising and managing the government companies it manages with high skill to increase their revenues which has been reflected in the national economy.
Moreover, the efforts of increasing transparency of these companies and raising their performance along with exploring new investment opportunities were also highlighted in the report presented by Al Zain.
Within this framework, the Crown Prince ordered the undertaking of the necessary procedures in making Bahrain International Airport able to compete and attract investment companies, in addition developing its infrastructure and logistic structure and speed up the process of making Bahrain International Airport company operational.
Then the board reviewed a presentation on the media bodies in various ministries and government bodies in the country and their effectiveness in creating channels of communication with citizens in the kingdom.
Through the study presented to the board suggestions related to the media and communication sector were provided in coordination with the general directorate and civil service bureau, in addition to making media a more attractive profession for graduates.
The presentation also include training media cadres to make them more active and elevating further the standard of coordination among media bodies in various ministries and government directorates.
