iGA conducts survey for GCC companies operating in Bahrain

Manama, Oct. 18 (BNA): The Information &and eGovernment Authority (iGA) announced the launch of a survey targeting GCC companies and organizations registered and operating in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in line with efforts to enhance joint cooperation and achieve sustainable economic integration between the GCC member states. The survey, which will measure the impact of economic decisions taken by the GCC Supreme Council, will cover the period between September and November 2022, and is carried out in cooperation with the GCC Statistical Center. The survey follows Decisions by the GCC Supreme Council and directives from the GCC Ministerial Committee of Following Up the Implementation of GCC Joint Decisions of GCC statistical Center. It is being conducted in cooperation with other GCC statistical agencies and aims to identify the challenges faced by GCC companies and organizations operating in the Kingdom. The survey also seeks feedback from these companies on the implementation of GCC joint decisions and unified economic agreements. iGA Director of Economic Statistics, Noora Khamis Al-Saadoon, said that the Kingdom is committed to implementing all decisions taken by the GCC Supreme Council towards comprehensive Gulf integration, especially in economic matters. She praised the attention and follow-up given to this sector by Bahrain’s senior leadership and government. She added that, importantly, this survey will provide statistical indicators that will support seamless trade flows between GCC countries, which is expected to increase competitiveness, and ultimately benefit consumers. It will also gauge the level of consistency between GCC decisions and business realities on the real ground that will attract mutual investments among GCC countries. In addition to increase labor opportunities, enhance financial liquidity, and support joint economic agreements that boost GCC economies and encourage their integration. Al-Saadoon said that the survey provided general indicators related to the number of GCC companies present in Bahrain and their relative distribution based on their activities. It will also reflect these companies’ level of knowledge of the Council’s decisions and will highlight ways to increase their awareness. The companies provided feedback on several issues, including their views on how easily they can conduct licensing, registration, new branch openings, and import and export activities. Another issue covered is taxation percentages, including the benefits and challenges facing GCC investors and companies. A Third topic revolves around stock market indicators and the establishment of companies, reflecting the percentage of GCC organizations that are treated as national entities and the challenges they face when buying or trading stocks. The fourth topic measures the level of property ownership, providing insight into the percentage of GCC companies that are allowed to rent or own properties and lands for the purposes of housing or investment. The Fifth topic covers labor and social insurance indicators, revealing companies’ opinions on procedures related to GCC employees and how seamless social insurance is for them. And the sixth topic about Implementation of Decisions, its measures Percentage of Bahrain’s implementation of Decisions relating to the realities of joint Gulf market issued by the GCC Supreme Council. Al-Saadoon said that the survey sample size was based on the size of the target community and is designed to be stratified, using random sampling, ensuring institutional representation by nationality and economic activity. Civil researchers conducted field visits to GCC establishments to collect the data. She emphasized that the survey is critical to decision-making and highlighted the importance of collecting accurate data to support economic integration. The iGA will communicate with all partners and stakeholders to reach the segment targeted by the survey. The GCC Statistical Center will carry out the analysis of field studies conducted in Bahrain, and the iGA will publish the results, via the Bahrain Open Data Portal data.gov.bh/ar in early 2023.