Zain participates in inauguration of ‘visionary landmark’

Bader Al-Kharafi and Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled with Zain and the Governorate’s officials.

KUWAIT: Zain took part in the official inauguration of the greening and renovation project of the Capital’s main entrance (islet between Abdullah Al-Salem and Al-Shamiya areas). The event witnessed the attendance of Al-Asimah Governor Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Zain Vice Chairman and Group CEO Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi in the presence of government dignitaries and other VIPs.

Zain, the national operator in Kuwait, was selected to renovate and maintain the main entrance of the Capital, a step that reflects the role of private sector companies in achieving social sustainability projects in partnership with the public sector.

The project is the fruitful result of a joint collaboration between the public and private sectors and will contribute to renovating the capital’s entrance as a first step into beautifying all of the district’s areas. Zain also explored the final design of a monument that the company will build in the location, and the company has decided to go with a unique design that reflects Kuwait’s authentic heritage and culture.

Zain will take the responsibility of renovation and greening works for the islet’s entire zone and has selected a national company that features young Kuwaiti engineers and designers to lead the work on this project, as the company strongly believes in the capabilities of national talents and entrepreneurs.

It is worth noting that the nation’s various entities view the private sector as a success partner in pushing sustainability efforts forward. The private sector has a pivotal role in shouldering local developmental plans, as companies support elevating the nation’s infrastructures. The belief in the private sector’s role and capabilities is a crucial factor in achieving economic growth and sustainability.

Bader Al-Kharafi and Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled in a chat during the visit.

Zain Vice Chairman and Group CEO Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi said: “At Zain, we embody the spirit of responsibility and partnership, as we take great care into supporting local initiatives and communities and exert more efforts into transforming them to green areas that reflect an elegant image of the nation. We are keen to have Kuwaiti entrepreneurial youth participate in the design of this project as their visionary approaches will be a differentiator in making this a landmark in Kuwait.”

Kharafi added: “We will support the efforts exerted by government entities to work on this project and other similar ones, which carry with them a real image of our legacy and culture as a society and country.”

Kharafi explained: “We look forward to this being the beginning of more similar initiatives to renovate more Kuwaiti areas and increase the number of green spaces. This, of course, requires joint efforts between the private and public sectors and a shared vision to put sustainability at the heart of every business.”

Capital Governor Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said, “Working on a beautification project and developing one of the main entrances to the capital, in partnership between the governorate and Zain Group executing the project, is the first beautification projects implemented by the private sector in the Capital Governorate.”

On the sidelines of his attendance to announce the launch of the project, Al-Khaled said, “We thank the Vice Chairman and CEO of Zain Group, brother Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi, the company’s officials, and all its cadres for the efforts they made in crowning their work by launching the national project in development and beautification on this day. It reaffirms the role of the private sector in the desired sustainable development and the role of Zain Group in social responsibility and its embodiment of the pioneering national role in beautifying and developing the capital and pushing our ambitions to achieve them and translate them on the ground.

He added that this project, which the governorate has achieved in cooperation and coordination with Zain Group since the project’s initiative last May, indicates the implementation of cosmetic projects with parallel companies that submitted their initiatives on time for the governorate’s vision of beautification and development.

At the conclusion of his speech, the Governor of the capital, Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Director General of the Public Authority for Agriculture and Fish Resources Sheikh Muhammad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah, the Director General of Kuwait Municipality Ahmad AlManfouhi for their efforts that helped ease procedures related to the beautification and development of the capital.

Kuwait believes in the important role played by the private sector in supporting and shouldering the nation’s various developmental goals. This partnership makes this strategic vision a reality.

Zain has a long list of initiatives and programs as part of its sustainability strategy, especially within environmental areas. The company partnered with “A Green Dream” initiative on the occasion of Earth Day, which aimed at strengthening environmental awareness in Kuwait by focusing on the importance of replacing imported plantations with local ones, as well as introducing the various kinds of local plantations and their benefits to the community.

Zain executes an ambitious strategy in sustainability areas by exerting more efforts into reducing the environmental footprint of its operations, including preserving local resources, reducing energy consumption, using less power, recycling waste, implementing green solutions for electricity and water management, monitoring the company’s impact on climate change, and more. Zain also recently sponsored Project UCON, an environmental initiative that sheds light on recycling.

Zain’s support to this initiative comes in line with its core objectives that aim at shouldering the advancement of the community as a whole on all levels, where the company reaffirms the principal of partnership through similar efforts with the aim of contributing to the further progress of national goals and serve the country’s developmental efforts.