Bahrain has long realised the importance of human resource management and that has put it in the forefront of human capital development, said Minister of State for Electricity and Water Affairs Dr Abdulhussain Mirza.

Dr Mirza was speaking at the fourth annual Human Resources Management Summit being attended by more than 150 human resource specialists from across the region at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The conference concludes tomorrow.

The kingdom continues to show leadership in the training and development sector, said the minister in his address.

"Human capital development has its own impact on the economy of any country and we were very pleased when the internationally-renowned Fraser Institute three weeks ago named Bahrain as the finest economy in the Mena region and the seventh in the world ahead of the US and Japan in this field," he said.

"A few days ago I had the opportunity to visit the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) career development centre located within the Sitra Power and Water production complex.

"The centre was established in the late 70s and has continuously improved over the past 30 years in the programmes being offered by the centre.

"My visit was aimed at emphasising the importance of human resource development and my discussions with the executive management at EWA extended to ways and means of further enhancing the programmes and courses offered by the centre, especially in the light of GCC and regional interest expressed in benefitting from the specialised courses in the area of electricity and water utility services provided in Bahrain," he said.

"This conference is being held at an interesting time with many challenges facing sustainability of business and changes in the global economies and market and financial challenges," he added.

"The regional economies are changing rapidly and businesses are facing new realities and are finding new ideas and new directions. Human capital development plays a vital role in these variables in organisations and for that matter in any country," Dr Mirza stated.

"The human resource profession is becoming a vital strategic asset to any organisation. It is shifting from being a people transaction function to a critical business function," he said.

"In line with the Economic Vision 2030, the government is proud to have made great strides in developing skills in its potential workforce," the minister remarked.

"Therefore the government launched such initiatives which bring international best practices to the country and the region," he added.-TradeArabia News Service