National Development Strategy (2015-2018)

This National Development Strategy is a 4-year nationwide multisectoral document that serves as the basis for the Government Programme which will map out the work streams of the Kingdom's Government during the Legislative Term between 2015 and 2018. The Programme indicates 3 main achievements (1) prioritizing projects to ensure that adequate resources are allocated to the initiatives of the greatest importance for its future development, (2) making efforts to identify alternative financing solutions to reduce the burden on the government budget without compromising investment in the Kingdom's future, (3) doing more with the available resources by increasing efficiency, improving organization, and further developing the governance of the public sector. To guide the Government's efforts over the coming four-year period, seven National Strategic Priorities have been identified to move forward to maximize the benefits while recognizing the limitations imposed by the existing constraints affecting natural resources, in particular relative scarcity of land, hydrocarbons, water, and food. The Strategy also identifies actionable initiatives that will contribute to the realization of each of these Strategic Priorities. The 7 Strategic Priorities are (1) maintain a safe and pleasant environment; (2) enhance the quality and accessibility of social services; (3) achieve sustainable quality growth; (4) ensure fiscal sustainability to fund the future; (5) ensure excellence in infrastructure; (6) ensure sustainable development of strategic resources; (7) enhance Government performance and efficiency.
The development assumes that the environment is respected, and the document lists the following (i) reduce the impact of resource constraints where possible; (ii) promote innovations to enhance the efficient production, distribution, and utilization of resources to ease supply constraints and reduce demand for scarce resources.
To promote an inclusive economic and social growth it is deemed important to (i) create a pleasant environment which provides attractive leisure and recreational opportunities and a dynamic social environment; (ii) deepen a sense of community and awareness of Bahrain's rich cultural heritage; (iii) provide equal opportunities to participate in the country's economic and social development; (iv) enhance the productivity of the workforce and boost the efficiency of its labour markets; (v) make the private sector to drive the development through policies that foster entrepreneurship, company growth and ongoing innovation; (vi) ensure better management, prioritization, and targeting of Government spending and subsidies and increasing the sustainability of Bahrain's pension system; (vii) align fiscal consolidation with efforts to develop new sources of capital to secure the future development of the economy; (viii) devlop modern high-quality infrastructure and urban planning to match the demands created by Bahrain's growing population and increasingly diverse economy.
As for Governance, the Government aims to (i) become a model of smart and efficient delivery of services to citizens; (ii) modernize its services by continuously improving its strategic planning, its internal operations and its use of technology; (iii) increase both the effectiveness of its communication between Government entities and its communication with the public, as well as to improve transparency and accountability.