Her Excellency Ms. Amna bint Ahmed Alrumaihi, Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, affirmed that investing in national talent and developing its capabilities constitutes a key pillar in advancing the housing and urban planning sector. She highlighted the importance of integrating government and academic expertise to build specialised capabilities able to keep pace with evolving requirements and harness knowledge and innovation to enhance work systems, supporting the aspirations of sustainable urban development while improving service quality and operational efficiency.

This came as part of the joint coordination between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning and Bahrain Polytechnic to strengthen cooperation across several areas, including the development of training programmes, the exchange of knowledge and practical expertise, and the utilisation of academic and applied expertise in technical, administrative and technological fields related to the housing and urban planning sector. The coordination took place during the second edition of the Social Housing Innovation Conference and Exhibition, held from 29 September to 3 October 2026.

Minister Alrumaihi explained that this coordination contributes to linking knowledge and practical application with workplace needs and expanding professional development opportunities for national talent, thereby enhancing their readiness to meet the requirements of the housing and urban planning sector and supporting the development of institutional performance.

She also stressed the importance of continuing to expand areas of cooperation with academic institutions, enabling the sector to benefit from specialised knowledge and expertise in developing innovative solutions to challenges related to housing and urban planning and supporting pathways for development and innovation across the sector.

For his part, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Bahrain Polytechnic, emphasised the importance of integrating the efforts of government and academic institutions in linking applied education with the needs of development sectors and preparing national talent equipped with the knowledge and skills required to contribute effectively to the development process.

He added that coordination with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning enhances the utilisation of academic and applied capabilities in developing national talent, strengthening their readiness to keep pace with labour market requirements, and contributing to the advancement of priority sectors.