Kuwait earmarks KD 1.3 billion for 141 projects in new development plan

• By the end of the first quarter of 2025/2026, 48.2% of projects were in the implementation phase, 17 new projects were introduced with 41% yet to start, 28% aligned with schedule, and overall spending reached 10%, higher than 2024/2025 but lower than 2023/2024.

A government report showed that the 2025/2026 annual development plan includes about 141 projects across nine programs, with total allocations of KD 1.3 billion. This marks a 6% rise compared to last year’s plan, which covered 133 projects with KD 1.1 billion in appropriations.

According to the quarterly follow-up report issued by the General Secretariat for Planning, spending on the new plan’s projects reached 9.9% by the end of the first quarter, up 5.1% from the same period last year. Expenditure during the three months amounted to KD 132.4 million, a 143% increase from the KD 54.5 million spent in the corresponding period of the previous year, Al Qabas newspaper reported.

The 2025/2026 annual development plan includes 124 ongoing projects and 17 new ones. About 48.2% of these projects are still in the implementation phase, while 21 have yet to begin. Infrastructure-related projects represent the largest share, with 38 projects focused on building a cohesive foundation.

The report confirmed that 28 projects are progressing in line with the schedule, while nearly 70% were behind by the end of the first quarter.

Implementation challenges

The analysis showed 723 challenges facing agencies responsible for the projects in the 2025/2026 plan. These challenges are grouped into five main categories and 29 subcategories. Approximately 87% of them have already been addressed.

Administrative challenges make up the largest share, at 43%, with delays in the documentation cycle for contractual procedures and slow approvals from regulatory bodies identified as the main obstacles.
Technical challenges account for 30.6% and are linked to delays caused by contractors, the implementing entity, or setbacks in delivering project phases and securing supplies. Financial challenges, such as delays in allocating funds, represent 12.6%. Legislative challenges are the least significant, at 4.3% of the total.

Highlights of the prjects

• Projects under the 2025/2026 annual plan are concentrated in the implementation phase, accounting for 48.2% by the end of the first quarter.

• The plan includes 17 new projects, 41% of which had not started by the end of the first quarter.
• About 28% of projects are in line with the implementation schedule, similar to the same period in 2024/2025, and slightly higher than 27% in 2023/2024.
• The spending rate on projects in the 2025/2026 plan reached 10% by the end of the first quarter, 5.1% higher than in 2024/2025 but 7.2% lower than in 2023/2024.
• Spending under the Cohesive Infrastructure Program was the highest among the plan’s programs, reaching 11% by the end of the first quarter, followed by the Environmentally Harmonious Living Areas Program at 5.5%.
• Administrative challenges represent 43% of the total, the largest share among all categories. Key obstacles include the slow documentation cycle for contractual procedures and delays in licensing and required approvals.
• Around 87% of the challenges to project implementation have been overcome.

Five recommendations

1. Authorities should expedite the completion of draft laws in the plan. Fourteen draft laws remain pending with relevant bodies and require renewed momentum to advance the legislative program.

2. Delays in spending on some projects due to late budget approvals or disbursements should be addressed urgently.

3. More effort is needed to support projects that stimulate the private sector, particularly public-private partnerships, where progress remains below expectations. Preparatory work and regulatory approvals should be accelerated to move these projects forward.

4. Executive bodies participating in the plan should complete their planning structures quickly to ensure smooth coordination with preparation and follow-up systems. The General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development has enhanced these systems, which has already improved achievement rates by resolving obstacles earlier.

5. Radical solutions are needed for projects facing significant delays in their timelines, even when no official obstacles have been recorded.