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A three-track housing strategy aimed at accelerating housing delivery for citizens has been put in place, it was revealed yesterday.
Housing and Urban Planning Minister Amna Al Romaihi stated that as part of the strategy, BD800 million has been allocated over two years to support government-backed financing solutions.
Responding to parliamentary questions, Ms Al Romaihi said the ministry was working simultaneously on expanding housing cities, providing immediate financing solutions and prioritising long-standing applications.
“We have three main programmes or tracks that we are working on,” she said. “The first track is construction and development of housing cities. We are continuing, according to the announced government programme, with clear budgets and defined capacity. MPs receive details of expenditures and the final accounts, and they are fully aware of the scale of work being carried out.”
However, she noted that demand continues to rise due to Bahrain’s young and growing population.
“Our society is young, and new families are formed every year,” she said. “With each new family, new housing applications are submitted. Therefore, we must work on immediate solutions alongside long-term projects.”
One of those solutions has been the expansion of government-backed financing, funded within the national budget. The minister revealed that BD800m has been earmarked for the housing portfolio over two years, primarily to support subsidised loans under the ministry’s fast-track financing programme.
“Under this policy, the citizen pays 25 per cent of their salary,” Ms Al Romaihi explained. “We continue to apply the quarter-salary deduction rule. The citizen then chooses what suits them – whether to rely on the subsidised financing alone or opt for additional loans depending on their needs.”
She highlighted the programme’s success, noting that 11,000 applications had been completed within a relatively short period through immediate financing. “This proves that the programme is working and that a significant segment of citizens is benefiting from these solutions,” she said.
Ms Al Romaihi stressed that the ministry was not relying solely on traditional housing allocation models.
“Our goal is to reduce waiting times,” she said. “Marriage rates are increasing and so is the number of families. Our responsibility is to receive these applications and provide practical solutions that ease the financial burden on citizens.”
She also underscored the ministry’s close co-ordination with Parliament, particularly in addressing older applications dating back to 2004 and earlier.
“We have given top priority to long-pending applications,” she said. “A special programme was designed for 2004 and earlier cases after completing procedures approved by the Cabinet.”
Three solutions were introduced for this category, two of which have already been implemented. These included BD70,000 financing, plus a BD10,000 non-refundable grant, and housing apartments accompanied by a BD3,000 grant.
“All allocations and grants for these solutions have been completed for eligible beneficiaries,” she confirmed.
Regarding land allocations, Ms Al Romaihi said seniority remained the governing principle. “Any land in any location is allocated according to the order of application, in response to MPs’ requests,” she said.
She added that Phase Two of East Sitra Housing Town had been handed over, with further allocations to follow in 2026, in co-operation with private-sector partners and contractors.
The minister also revealed that humanitarian cases were being assessed separately.
“We have a dedicated committee to study cases where large numbers of individuals are living in overcrowded conditions,” she said.
“These are reviewed regardless of the year of application, and assistance is provided based on humanitarian need.
“Our mission,” she concluded, “is to accelerate delivery, reduce waiting periods and ensure that every Bahraini family has access to suitable housing.”
She was replying to four parliamentary questions during yesterday’s session.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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