Manama: Wael bin Nasser Al Mubarak, Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, emphasised that the Kingdom of Bahrain is witnessing continuous growth in the urban development and investment sectors, in line with the development process led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the support of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
According to Bahrain News Agency, Minister Al Mubarak highlighted that the construction sector recorded the issuance of 2,637 building permits during the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 62% compared to the same period in 2024. He noted that this figure is the highest since 2021, reflecting positive indicators of economic growth and serving as an incentive to maintain high efficiency in performance.
He noted that the total licensed building area reached approximately 862,000 square metres, an increase of 70% compared to the first quarter of the previous year. He underscored that this indicates increasing positive activity in real estate and investment development projects.
The minister added that these figures reflect the Kingdom's attractiveness to investments, supported by a conducive environment and stimulating government facilitations. In this context, he commended the role of the electronic Benayat system in accelerating the licensing process and improving the quality of services provided.
Minister Al Mubarak added that the system contributed to the issuance of 522 licences within a short period, ranging between two to a maximum of five working days, enhancing performance efficiency and speeding up project completion. He pointed out that investment and special-purpose licences accounted for approximately 19.3% of the total licences, while residential licences accounted for about 80.7% up to April 20.
He noted that new services have been introduced through the system, including landfill, fencing, merging, subdivision, renovation, and change of use permits, aimed at facilitating procedures and improving service quality for investors and real estate developers in the Kingdom. He emphasised that the Benayat system has significantly contributed to developing the licensing mechanism in line with Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, by engaging the private sector and providing a stimulating environment for real estate investment.