R&D to pave the way for a bright future

By Captain Mahmood Al Mahmood

In each of our lives, a clock is ticking every second.

The ticktock is a reminder that we are all – every citizen and resident who enjoys the good life in the Kingdom of Bahrain – is part of the promise made by HRH the Crown Prince and PM to the world, that Bahrain would cut its carbon emissions by 2030 and strive to reach Net Zero by 2060.

Promises such as these are the valuable first line of defence against the deteriorating health of Planet Earth. And they cannot be met by the government alone or by pressurising the private sector.

It requires a shift in mindset and a realisation of the value of public-private partnerships and the role of ecosystems in the Kingdom’s decarbonization efforts.

In recent months, the reorganisation of Bapco into BAPCO Energies and the increased emphasis on Bahrain’s quest for renewable energy to replace fossil fuels has underscored how serious we are about our sustainability and green goals.

While the best way to enable our winning the race would be to buy into the excellent new technology which is commercially available in the global market, we do need to build our R&D muscle as well.

Ideas which are born in Bahrain and from the minds of Bahrainis will not only bring intellectual glory to us, it will play a pivotal role in fostering value creation, job opportunities, productivity and efficiency.

In the ‘seventies, Bahrain reinvented itself as a financial hub because our leaders saw that fossil fuels were limited and our human resources were the key to sustained future growth. Today, the Bahraini fintech industry is rightly praised for its robust growth and innovation.

Similarly, R&D in every sector will unlock potential for our millennial workforce. Let our schools and universities start the tradition of taking R&D seriously and lead the way forward.