Zain, the leading digital service provider in Kuwait, concluded its platinum sponsorship of the 2nd Consulting Services for Development Plan Forum (ENCON2) entitled “Role of the Private Sector in Execution and Automated Integration among Related Agencies to Boost Productivity and Combat Corruption”. The event, held at Sheraton Kuwait Hotel from 30 April – 2 May, came under the patronage of H.H. First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah.
Zain took part in the forum’s opening ceremony, which witnessed the presence of Director of the Financial Supervisory Commission Dr. Abdulaziz Al Dakheel, Director of the Federation of Kuwaiti Engineering Offices and Consultant Houses Bader Al Salman, and General Manager of the forum’s organizer NoufEXPO Nouf Al Marzouq, who all took part in recognizing Zain Kuwait’s Chief Corporate Communications and Relations Officer Waleed Al Khashti for Zain’s support to the event.
During the forum, Zain participated in the first panel discussion entitled “Role of the Private Sector in Executing Development Plans” represented by Zain Kuwait’s Government and Large Segment Director Basima Al Enezi. The panel discussion also featured the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development Dr. Khalid Mahdi, CEO of the Arab Office for Engineering Consultancy Tareq Shuaib, General Manager of Molden Technical and Consulting Projects Company Abdulaziz Al Sadoun. During the discussion, Al Enezi showcased Zain’s leading role in contributing to elevation of the efficiency of the execution of the Kuwait National Development Plan (New Kuwait), being a leading national company in the Kuwaiti private sector, which is considered a strategic partner in the country’s developmental goals and one of its main pillars.
ENCON2 featured the presence of many entities from both the public and private sectors, which added a great value to the forum’s program on multiple levels. NoufEXPO organized the event in collaboration with the Federation of Kuwaiti Engineering Offices and Consultant Houses, with a participation from the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, Central Agency for Public Tenders, Central Agency for Information Technology, and Kuwait Municipality, the Apparatus for Developing Silk City (Al Sabbiya) and Boubyan Island, Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA), Kuwait Fire Service Directorate, Ministry of Electricity and Water, Environment Public Authority, Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Health, Kuwait University, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC). The forum also featured the presence of several supervisory bodies, including the State Audit Bureau of Kuwait, Department for Legal Advice and Legislation, Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha), the Financial Supervisory Commission, and the Government Performance Follow-Up Agency.
Zain affirmed its commitment in being present at the various projects and activities that contribute to pushing the national economy wheel and achieving the various developmental objectives of the country, further reflecting its role as a leading national private sector company that engages with planning initiatives that achieve Kuwait’s prosperity on all levels.
The 2nd Consulting Services for Development Plan Forum (ENCON2) mainly aimed at boosting the efficiency by which the phases of Kuwait’s 2035 Development Plan are executed. It also aimed at ensuring that projects are executed accurately according to specifications and within their budgets. Shortening the documentary cycle and significantly limiting variation orders to boost transparency and combat corruption were also among the main topics of the event. In addition, the forum focused on increasing the level of cooperation and coordination among all agencies mandated with the delivery of consulting services. As a first step, ENCON2 discussed the requirements for developing a healthy administrative and technological environment among the executive and supervisory government agencies to automate the issuance of approvals and permissions related to consulting services. The target is the development of a web portal to be the unified gateway for issuing all approvals and permissions related to deliver consulting services for government and private sector projects in general, and especially for projects of the Development Plan.
ENCON2 also discussed the best approach to implement Kuwait’s government vision of empowering the private consulting sector to assume the roles of approvals and permissions issuance and execution of projects of the Development Plan, and the best approach to empower the government agencies to carry out an accompanying effective supervisory role only. This conforms to Kuwait’s strategy of mandating the private sector with a more significant economic role.