Kuwait’s Council of Ministers has approved a KWD 2 billion (approximately USD 6.5 billion) Smart Infrastructure Initiative as the cornerstone of its 2026-2030 Five-Year Development Plan, marking the most ambitious public investment in the country’s non-oil economy in a decade. The programme targets comprehensive upgrades to Kuwait’s digital, transport, and energy infrastructure, directly addressing the productivity gaps that the World Bank’s 2025 GCC Competitiveness Report identified as Kuwait’s principal economic development constraint.
Digital Infrastructure: National Fibre and Smart City
The plan commits KWD 450 million to nationwide fibre broadband rollout, targeting 95 percent household connectivity by 2028. Kuwait currently ranks fourth in the GCC for fixed broadband penetration; the upgrade will position it alongside the UAE and Qatar. A Smart Kuwait City platform, covering intelligent traffic management, sensor-enabled waste collection, smart meters, and a unified government digital services portal, will receive KWD 320 million.
Opportunities for GCC and International Businesses
Kuwait’s Ministry of Finance has indicated that international competitive tenders for the smart infrastructure programme will begin in Q3 2026. GCC companies, particularly UAE technology integrators, Saudi construction contractors, and Bahraini fintech firms, are expected to be early bidders given their existing Kuwait business relationships and GCC contractor classification preferential access. The Central Tenders Committee (CTC) Kuwait portal will be the primary procurement publication channel.
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Primary source: Kuwait’s Public Authority for Housing Welfare, which publishes the housing and infrastructure plan.
