Kuwait to spend $18bn on projects this year
Kuwait, April 8, 2013
Kuwait plans to spend 4.5-5.0 billion dinars ($15.8-17.5 billion) on development projects in the 2013/14 fiscal year which began this month, Finance Minister Mustapha Al-Shamali said on Monday.
Domestic political tensions have been delaying work on parts of a 30 billion dinar infrastructure building and economic development plan announced by the country in late 2010.
The group chief executive officer of National Bank of Kuwait has been scathing in recent months about the impact of the political situation on economic growth, a rare public outburst from a prominent Gulf businessman.
However, there have been signs that the government has found ways to move ahead with some projects.
Kuwait had a budget surplus of 17.2 billion dinars in the first 10 months of its fiscal year, preliminary budget data showed at the end of March, thanks to robust oil income and lower-than-expected public spending.
Shamali also told reporters on the sidelines of a financial conference in Kuwait that the Opec member's economy should grow by 4.5-5.0 percent this year. He did not give more details. - Reuters
