The Ministry of Works has announced outstanding achievements in 2008. 677 tenders and projects were issued to a total value of BD 256.9 million (US$ 685 million) as part of its remit to create a world-class infrastructure in the Kingdom in alignment with the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030. The Ministry’s project budget increased to BD 110 million (US$ 293 million) and it managed projects for client Ministries worth BD 108 million (US$ 288 million). The announcement was made during an event held today at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, where the Ministry launched its 2008 Annual Report.
The achievements are a continuation of a trend that has characterized performance over the past few years, as captured in the Ministry’s 2007 Annual Report, which along with its new Corporate Profile, was also provided to attending invitees, including senior staff and media.
H.E. Fahmi Bin Ali Al Jowder, Minister of Works, noted during the event that the Ministry’s efforts are key to sustained development for the long-term future of the Kingdom.
“The work of the Ministry is integral to realizing the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, the National Strategy and those of the Bahrain Centre of Excellence. Our contribution includes strategic execution across four themes, which help us to contribute to all economic, social and cultural sectors in the Kingdom. These are ‘Public Private Partnerships’ where we are engaging private sector capabilities in implementing projects; as a ‘Key Planning Player’ where our Ministry occupies a key role in master planning and implementation in accordance with the National Strategy; as a provider of ‘Sustainable Quality Services’; and as a ‘Leading Professional Organisation’ where we aim to ensure our workforce is highly motivated and that we provide a culture and environment where knowledge sharing and the power of synergy and effort is at its heart,” said Mr Al Jowder.
The Ministry is handling more projects than ever with the expansion of roads and sanitary engineering networks on course and in full alignment with the Government National Master Plan Development Scenarios. In 2008 significant advances were made on road expansion and development projects, sanitary engineering projects and services as well as with strategic Government projects
The Roads Strategic Master Plan facilitates access to all parts of Bahrain and improves traffic flow Kingdom- wide. Accomplished strategic roads projects in the year included Bahrain Gas junction, the City Centre Flyover, Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Highway Interchanges 3 and 4 and Zallaq Bridge. Examples of roads projects under construction during the year include the Bahrain Map Interchange, North Manama Causeway reclamation and armouring works for the Reef Island access bridge, Sitra Bridge Replacement, and Um Al Hassam Interchange.
In the Sanitary Sector the BD 14.2 million (US$ 38 million) budget was fully utilized. 26 projects were under construction, 41 tenders and 43 project designs were completed; and eight contracts worth BD 9 million (US$ 24 million) were also completed.
Other noteworthy achievements in the Sanitary Sector included the move towards privatising Sanitary Engineering Services in order to provide high quality service for the people of Bahrain. Work is underway on the new Muharraq Sewage Treatment Plant with the commencement of reclamation work; and a consultant for the Tubli Sewage Treatment Plant upgrade was also appointed.
Other significant advances in 2008 included major progress on various strategic projects. For example, Khalifa Bin Salman Port infrastructure and the port building was completed; Shaikh Khalifa Sport City was also completed and is ready for handover to the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports. Work in other projects which will contribute to Bahrain’s economic, social and cultural and infrastructure development was well underway. These projects include King Hamad General Hospital at Muharraq, Bahrain Monument, and Sitra and Al Najma Sports Clubs.
The Ministry pursues excellence in all its activities and a major enabler of this is a high level of strategic planning that is put into its work. Efforts in strategy management and resulting implementation have enabled the Ministry to accomplish projects in 2008 which were worth more than 10 times those in 2004 using almost the same number of staff. This as well as its other successes has resulted in the Ministry being ranked in the top 12% in a worldwide survey conducted by Palladium Group, a US-based specialist in systems and processes to improve the execution of business strategy.
The Ministry’s ongoing initiatives to invest in its people is evidenced by a 44% increase in training expenses and a total of 2166 training events took place locally and abroad in 2008. 479 employee promotions, 131 incentives and many other transactions were also granted leading towards ever-increasing levels of employee satisfaction.
“I am very proud of our workforce and their contribution to our record-breaking achievements. I congratulate them on their accomplishments, which enhances our Ministry’s position as a leading professional organization in the Kingdom. Such commitment ensures our customer and community focused approach and a prioritization on the needs of the public. The launch of our latest annual report today is a demonstration of our transparency and our accountability to our stakeholders.
“We look forward to continued successes in 2009 and beyond as we look to the future and to contributing towards achieving the objectives of the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030,” concluded Mr Al Jowder.
