Naser Khraibut

In addition to working on Kuwait’s affordable housing sector, PAHW is heavily involved in implementing more sustainability practices and promoting smart city initiatives.

What recent developments has PAHW been involved in regarding affordable housing in Kuwait?

PAHW develops completely new cities and towns including all of the road infrastructure, and public buildings, which means it works on a wide range of developments in Kuwait. Due to the increasing queue of applicants, PAHW has numerous megaprojects in the works with over 40 contracts worth over KWD1 billion and many other tenders in the pipeline for infrastructure and buildings. Its major projects are Al-Mutlaa City, South Sabah Al-Ahmad City, South Saad Al-Abdulla City, and Affordable Housing Project. In addition, PAHW has many PPP investment opportunities with the private sector, with a CAPEX of over KWD400 million and over KWD150 million of revenue for the duration of the investment period. There are many other PPP investment projects in the pipeline as well. To date, we have distributed around 100,000 houses. The issue is of great importance for the government because everyone needs affordable housing, which is why we are working to keep up.

The land designation is an issue for some sectors in Kuwait. How does PAHW control this domain?

Under Kuwait’s masterplan, there are lands designated for PAHW, which means everything within that border is our responsibility. These plots of land start from 30sqkm and can be as large as 149 sqkm. Our total land bank, including both empty plots and those under construction, is perhaps eight times the size of Barcelona. Its sheer size has become a strategic issue, which is why we have brought in McKinsey to develop our strategic map roadmap. Our development strategy includes short-, medium-, and long-term plans aimed at transitioning from heavy government subsidies to more private sector-led growth. We are closely observing and monitoring the private sector’s activities to this end. Our current legislation is robust, particularly regarding construction, design, approval, and investment in non-residential areas; however, we acknowledge there are significant obstacles in the residential sector, and our law is designed to mitigate these challenges. This legislation enhances visibility for private sector involvement in developing both residential and non-residential areas, granting us greater authority in the process. We have incorporated numerous provisions in the law to make it more attractive for investors and developers. When dealing with municipal approvals, whether it is for plans, designs, or orders, only PAHW’s approval is required. Our approach is a one-stop shop, where we handle all approvals, simplifying the process for developers.

How does PAHW incorporate sustainable practices to ensure that communities thrive socially and economically?

PAHW is making sure to implement and incorporate sustainability practices with all the other entities involved in all our projects. We have accommodated the sustainability targets set out in the National Development Plan, the UN’s SDGs, and the Kuwait Master Plan. Moreover, Kuwait is committed to the UN Summit Climate Change declaration in Doha to achieve 15% renewable energy capacity by 2030. Again, PAHW does not only build housing, but entire communities and cities. We undertake all detailed technical, visibility studies, and forecasting. Meanwhile, it is standard practice in all our public facilities to factor in renewable energy where possible.

What technological solutions does PAHW promote to enhance the efficiency of services in residential areas?

One of our targets currently is to realize smart city solutions, and we are earmarking South Saad Abdullah City as our first smart city. Although we already have smart elements in Kuwait overall, we are upgrading and introducing new smart services. We are shifting from having solitary smart elements toward integrating more smart services and creating an integrated operation center to monitor and manage a city’s roads and infrastructure with numerous screens through which all the ministries and stakeholders are connected. The pandemic taught us how to leverage all available technology, and this is precisely what we are doing in our projects.