Bahrain considers privatisation of gas stations

Abd al-Hussain Ali Mirza, the Chairman of the National Oil and Gas Authority of Bahrain, has said that the Government of the kingdom would ask specialised firms to study the possibility of privatising the islands gasoline stations.

Nicosia, June 21 : Abd al-Hussain Ali Mirza, the Chairman of the National Oil and Gas Authority of Bahrain, has said that the Government of the kingdom would ask specialised firms to study the possibility of privatising the island's gasoline stations.

The move follows the example set by the Government of Kuwait, which is currently carrying out a plan aimed at the privatisation of gas stations.

Ali Mirza, who is also Bahrain's Minister of Oil and Chairman of the Bahrain Petroleum Company, added that the privatisation of gasoline stations falls in line with the policy of the government of the country to increase the involvement of the private sector in key areas of the economy. However, the Minister added that no timetable had been set for implementation of the plan.

Over the last years, the kingdom of Bahrain has made significant economic reforms and proceeded to privatising some of state-owned enterprises.

In the most complex and significant undertaking to date, the government seeks to restructure the power and water sectors in order to bring in the private sector in the nation's economy. The government aims at providing better service to Bahrain's citizens, without further taxing the national budget.

ANI