HE the Minister of Works Eng. Essam bin Abdulla Khalaf deputized for HRH the Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa in delivering the opening speech at the 14th International Conference for the Project Management Conference, Project Management Institute-Arabian Gulf Chapter. The conference is patronized by HRH the Prime Minister and is being held at the Gulf Hotel from 28-30 Jan 2013, with the theme “Raising the Bar through Project Excellence”.

 

‘Bahrain will continue to fund infrastructure projects in the next 10 years. It will be used to further develop and expand the Kingdoms’ road and sanitary networks, to develop and build schools, health centres, sport facilities and social development projects amongst others. I give examples of two new strategic projects: The upgrade of Al Fateh Highway to an urban motorway. Detail design consultancy work has been tendered and will be awarded soon.

 

The second is the upgrade and expansion of Tubli STP to be tendered later this year,’ said the Minister Khalaf in his speech. Khalaf explained that Implementing new government programs and projects present many challenges. Projects need to be delivered on time, on budget, and in accordance with expectations, and this is no easy task given the complexity of the environment in which public services administration is delivered. While project management may be the centerpiece, other key variables in the equation include governance arrangements, people skills, and stakeholder involvement in systems that give visibility to project status.