By B Izzak
KUWAIT: The government on Sunday submitted to the National Assembly its four-year program in which it included 107 major projects covering all economic, social, entertainment and human resources fields to be completed till 2027. Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun invited MPs for a special debate on the program on Tuesday. Under the program, the government pledged to operate a number of mega projects, like Kuwait’s part of the Gulf railway project, operating in the third year the new Kuwait airport Terminal 2 and raising the number of flights to and out of Kuwait from 240,000 to 650,000 flights by building three new runways.
It said the government will revise the country’s residence law for foreigners without providing further details and vowed to take measures as part of its plan to reduce the number of expats in the country. The government also vowed to build or repair thousands of kilometers of roads, mostly damaged by rain. Among the major projects listed under the program is the opening of an international class entertainment city in Doha, slated in the fourth year of the program at an estimated cost of KD 200 million.
It will also open Failaka Island as a tourist and cultural attraction. The program states Kuwait’s production capacity will be raised from 2.7 million barrels per day to 3.15 million bpd gradually until the fourth year. During the same period, the government expects to raise free natural gas output from 521 million cu ft daily now to 930 million cu ft daily. Meanwhile, the Assembly’s financial and economic affairs committee decided on Sunday to approve a draft law abolishing the requirement for a local agent for foreign companies to work in Kuwait, MP Abdulwahab Al-Essa said. .
The aim of the project is to encourage competition in the domestic economy to improve the quality of services in the country and to reduce the cost of projects and services. Essa said that existing agencies will continue to be valid but foreign companies will be free to cancel their contract with their local agent and operate directly in the Kuwaiti market.