The Bahraini government is moving to encourage the flow of regional and international capital into its domestic market through a series of new measures rolled out in September.

The measures intend to facilitate the investment process in the kingdom and fall in line with the goals of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, which envisions the private sector as the main engine of development in the country, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

They include increasing the number of staff to expedite registration procedures for investors and opening the Bahrain Investors Centre on Saturdays.

The ministry also plans to introduce a new electronic system for documentation and licenses in the first half of 2014, officials said.

The new package of measures will bring investors added value and achieve a leap in the conduct of the registration process and the issuance of documentation and business licenses, said Akbar Jaafari, Executive Director of JAFCON, a consulting firm that focuses on productivity improvements.

Jaafari urged the government to work to regularly update industrial and commercial systems and laws in order to keep pace with the fierce competition.

Bahrain has always been an investment oasis owing to the advantages it offers, said Bahraini businessman Yousef al-Meshaal, chairman of al-Meshaal Industrial Group.

“That has changed now, however, with increased competition from neighbouring Gulf states,” he said.

Bahrain has fallen short in marketing its advantages on a global scale, al-Meshaal said, such as the fact that the small kingdom is “the only Arab Gulf state in the region that grants foreign investors the right of 100% ownership”.

Khaled al-Amin of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry praised the government’s efforts to provide an ideal climate for investors in the kingdom.

However, the government should consider going beyond facilitating procedures and paving the way for offering non-traditional incentives, he said.

Neighbouring states are expanding this concept by offering advantages such as “land, electricity and water at attractive prices to all investors, which are elements that are severely lacking in Bahrain at this time”, he told Al-Shorfa.

A one-stop electronic system through which investors can complete their paperwork also is necessary, as “the era of signatures has ended”, al-Amin said.

“We must keep up with our neighbours and be aware they have made tremendous progress,” he added.