- The Public Authority for Industry is studying multiple development scenarios for the strategically located Al-Wasila site, including a crafts hub for Kuwaiti entrepreneurs and privately developed commercial and service projects.
Kuwait is examining new investment and development options for the 150,000-square-metre Al-Wasila site in Ardiya Industrial Area, following its return to the Public Authority for Industry after the termination of its lease with the National Fund for the Care and Development of Small and Medium Enterprises.
The strategically located site is now being assessed under several development scenarios, with the objective of transforming the land into a productive commercial and investment asset while expanding opportunities for Kuwaiti entrepreneurs and the private sector. Officials at the Public Authority for Industry are studying a model that could divide the site into two principal components.
One would focus on creating a dedicated crafts complex for Kuwaiti entrepreneurs and owners of light industries, particularly young people without existing businesses or employment opportunities. Under the concept being examined, around 50 percent of the project could potentially be allocated to craft activities, with investment spaces offered in different configurations to accommodate a range of businesses and their operational and logistical requirements.
The proposed rental model would be designed to remain accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises, broadly following the approach used at the Fahaheel crafts complex, where spaces are offered at relatively low rental rates. The objective would be to reduce entry barriers for entrepreneurs while creating a structured platform for small industrial and craft businesses.
The development could also provide entrepreneurs with access to infrastructure designed specifically for their activities, allowing the Industrial Authority to attract a broader range of craft and light-industrial businesses to the site. The second component under discussion would place greater emphasis on commercial and service-oriented investment, potentially through greater participation by the private sector in the development and operation of the site.
One option being considered is to offer commercial and service projects through public tenders, allowing private investors to compete on the basis of their proposed concepts and financial terms. If adopted, such an approach would create a mechanism for bringing private capital and expertise into the development while potentially generating additional revenue for the state.
The approach would also support Kuwait’s broader objective of increasing the private sector’s role in economic activity and developing alternative sources of non-oil revenue. Importantly, the development concepts currently under discussion have not been presented as final decisions. The Industrial Authority is examining several alternatives, which could be modified, developed further or ultimately set aside as the project moves through the planning process.
From an investment perspective, the Al-Wasila site offers the potential to combine SME development, commercial activity and private-sector investment within a single development framework. Its location within Ardiya Industrial Area, together with the existing open spaces and building structures on the site, provides a base for considering a range of potential uses.
Commercial complexes and hospitality projects are among the possible investment formats that could be considered for the commercial portion of the development, although the authority has yet to determine the specific mix of activities. The potential model would give the project a dual economic role: providing affordable operating space for Kuwaiti craft entrepreneurs while creating opportunities for private investors to develop commercially viable activities.
For the state, the significance extends beyond the redevelopment of a single industrial site. A successful investment structure could help increase the utilisation of government-owned land, create new business opportunities, support employment and entrepreneurship, and contribute to the diversification of public-sector revenue. For investors, the project could eventually offer opportunities across retail, services, hospitality, light industry and other activities, depending on the final development framework and tender conditions.
The Al-Wasila project therefore represents a potential intersection between government land optimisation, SME development and private-sector investment, with the final outcome depending on the development model ultimately selected by the Public Authority for Industry.
