Mubasher: The Economic Development Board (EDB) of Bahrain has attracted investments valued at $810 million from 76 companies during the year 2018 when compared to a total investment of $733 million pumped by 71 firms, according to a recent statement.
EDB has attracted a record number of investments as businesses from around the world to access opportunities in the $1.5 trillion economy in the GCC region.
In the first nine months of 2018, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows grew by 138% when compared to the corresponding period a year ago.
Bahrain EDB noted that FDI attracted in the first nine months of 2018 exceeded five times of the total attracted in 2015. Such sharp increase has been achieved despite a challenging global environment for FDI, with global FDI flows falling sliding 23% in 2017.
Investments in 2018 are expected to generate over 4,200 jobs during the coming three years, as more than 1,100 will be high quality jobs; this is defined as providing a basic monthly salary of more than $1,850.
“We continue to see strong interest towards the GCC opportunity – and our unique Team Bahrain approach provides the means to unlocking these opportunities. The region’s potential is rising with solid investments and a growing number of high-quality jobs for Bahrainis,”, CEO of Bahrain EDB Khalid Al Rumaihi said.
