The Ministry of Culture and Information of Kuwait is one of the ministries of the State of Kuwait. It was established in 1979 by a decree issued by Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The ministry undertakes the media, intellectual and cultural policy and contributes to sponsoring art. The Ministry of Information is also concerned with tourism and antiquities affairs.
 |
|---|
|
| Constitution |
 Kuwaitportal |
The current Minister is Abdulrahman Badah Al-Mutairi.
The year 1954 witnessed the beginning of Kuwait's media march. The Official Gazette was established, and shortly after its issuance, it was attached with its printing presses to the Department of Printing and Publishing, established in 1955 and headed by Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad. In 1959, the Emiri decree was issued, which stipulated the term “Press and Publishing Department for all issues related to the press.” At the beginning of 1962, government departments were transformed into ministries. The official name of the Department of Governmental Publications and Publishing became “Ministry of Guidance and News”. The Radio and Television Department was attached to it. It took over all Publication media and films, which were taken over by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and renamed it in February 1971, becoming the Ministry of Information. As for Kuwait Radio, the sound “Here is Kuwait” was launched for the first time in 1951. The half-century development of work in the radio and media efforts resulted in the emergence of eight radio stations within the framework of Radio Kuwait, broadcasting their programs in four languages for a period of 72 hours a day. [1]
Kuwait TV started fast and developed steps since 1961. The Ministry of Guidance and News at that time took over the responsibility for television broadcasting. In 1969, Kuwait established a television transmission station in Dubai under the name “Kuwait TV from Dubai.” [1] [2] [3]
In 2021, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information and Culture launched a five-year strategy. As part of its attempt to develop the official media in the country and enable it to play an influential role in society through the various tools it possesses. The strategy was prepared under the directives of the political leadership in Kuwait, with the aim of developing the government media apparatus in Kuwait to exercise its role to complete the development process. Minister of Information and Culture and Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Abdul Rahman Al-Mutairi, affirmed the ministry's determination to develop the government media apparatus to enable it to exercise its role in achieving sustainable development, and to become a primary source of knowledge. The strategy, according to Al-Mutairi, is based on the development of human resources in the ministry by supporting cadres, competencies and media talents, in addition to developing and renewing balanced Kuwaiti media discourse and content in line with the social and cultural context of the community, as well as strengthening the infrastructure of the ministry by providing more high technologies and modern devices to keep pace with global developments in this field.
The strategy supports the production of drama, theatrical and cinematic arts, in addition to the establishment of a media production city, and the establishment of national councils and bodies specialized in media. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Source: [7]
The ministry is also concerned with contributing to the dissemination of culture, diversifying sources of knowledge, sponsoring arts and literature in its various aspects, in addition to supervising tourism and working to encourage it, diversify its activities, and cooperate with Arab and foreign countries and organizations in the fields of media and journalism.
| Name | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|
| Sabah Al-Ahmad | 1962 | 1963 |
| Mubarak Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah | 1963 | 1963 |
| Sabah Al-Ahmad | 1963 | 1964 |
| Jaber Al-Ali Al-Salem Al-Sabah | 1964 | 1981 |
| Sabah Al-Ahmad | 1981 | 1985 |
| Nasser Al-Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah | 1985 | 1986 |
| Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah | 1988 | 1990 |
| Bader Al Yaqoub | 1990 | 1992 |
| Saud Nasser Al-Soud Al-Sabah | 1992 | 1996 |
| Youssef Mohammed Al-Sumait | 1998 | 1999 |
| Saad Bin Tefla | 1999 | 2000 |
| Saud Nasser Al-Soud Al-Sabah | 2000 | 2001 |
| Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah | 2001 | 2003 |
| Mohammed Abdullah Abulhassan | 2003 | 2005 |
| Dr. Anas Mohammed Al-Rasheed | 2005 | 2006 |
| Mohammed Nasser Al-Sanousi | 2006 | 2007 |
| Bader Nasser Al-Hameedi | 2006 | 2006 |
| Abdullah Saud Al Muhalibi | 2007 | 2007 |
| Sabah Al-khalid Al-Sabah | 2008 | 2009 |
| Ahmad Al Abdullah Al Sabah | 2009 | 2011 |
| Muhammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah | 2012 | 2012 |
| Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Homoud Al-Sabah | 2012 | 2015 |
| Muhammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah | 2016 | 2016 |
| Mohammed Al-Jabri | 2016 | 2020 |
| Abdul Rahman Badah Al-Mutairi | 2020 | 2021 |
| Dr. Hamad Ahmed Rouh El Din | 2021 | 2022 |
| Abdul Rahman Badah Al-Mutairi | 2022 | until now |
As a small country, local transport in Kuwait is largely road-based with one car for every 2.25 people. Bus services make up Kuwait's entire public transport network. There are seven airports in Kuwait, the largest of which and solely allocated for civil use is Kuwait International Airport. The Gulf Railway is currently under planning in Kuwait. The metro for Kuwait City is currently in the design phase. Kuwait has several maritime ports along the coast of the Persian Gulf, the largest port is Mubarak Al Kabeer Port which is currently under construction.
Since its independence in 1961, Kuwait maintained strong international relations with most countries, especially nations within the Arab world. Its vast oil reserves gives it a prominent voice in global economic forums and organizations like the OPEC. Kuwait is also a major ally of ASEAN, a regional ally of China, and a major non-NATO ally.
Bubiyan Island is the largest island in the Kuwaiti coastal island chain situated in the north-western corner of the Persian Gulf, with an area of 863 km2 (333 sq mi). Bubiyan Island is part of the Shatt al-Arab delta. The Mubarak Al Kabeer Port is currently under construction on the island. As part of the port's development, there are plans for Bubiyan Island to contain power plants and substations. A 5,000-megawatt power plant has already been built in the neighbouring Kuwaiti region of Subiya.
Silk City is a large infrastructure project in northern Kuwait which is currently under development. The project will be built in individual phases. In May 2019, the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway opened as part of the Silk City project's first phase, the project's first phase also includes Mubarak Al Kabeer Port which is currently under construction. The Silk City project is part of China's Belt and Road Initiative.
Kuwait Television is Kuwait's official state-run television station, and part of the Kuwaiti Ministry of information.
Fayeq Mohammed Al-Ayadhi, better known by his pen name Fayeq Abdul-Jaleel, was a prominent Kuwaiti poet, playwright and lyricist whose work was well known throughout the Arab world. He was captured by Iraqi forces during the invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and he was the best known of more than 600 Kuwaiti civilians who were held as prisoners of war by Saddam Hussein's government. He was never seen by his family or friends again until his remains were unearthed in the Iraqi desert in 2004. The timing and manner of his death is a matter of some enduring mystery.
Mubarak Al Kabeer Port is a port in Bubiyan Island, Kuwait. The port is currently under construction. In April 2021, the port's first phase was completed. The port is part of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Ministry of Finance is one of the governmental bodies of Kuwait and part of the cabinet. It is concerned with the executive general administration of public financial affairs in the State of Kuwait. As of September 2023 the minister is Fahd Abdulaziz Al Jarallah.
The Egyptian Ministry of Military Production is responsible for managing the development and operation of military factories in the Egyptian Republic and now chaired by Major General Mahammad Salah el-Din Mostafa, who took over the ministry within the ministry of Mostafa Madbouly in 14 August 2022.
A suicide bombing took place on 26 June 2015 at a Shia mosque in Kuwait. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attack. Sabah al-Sabah, the Emir at the time, arrived at the location of the incident after a short period of time. Twenty-seven people were killed and 227 people were wounded.
Turki Abdullah Al-Shabanah was the Minister of Media in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 27 December 2018 to 25 February 2020. A longstanding media and entertainment executive prior to his appointment, Al Shabanah has run a variety of companies including Rotana. He was ranked by variety magazine as one of the "500 Most Influential Media Personalities of the World" in late 2018.
Bassam Almusallam is a Kuwaiti award-winning novelist, short story writer, and former assistant editor at KUNA. He has published three books including two short story collections, Under the Pigeons Tower (2010) and The Banner: Stories in The Windward (2013) which won Laila al-Othman Prize in the same year. His short story, Adham Washing Machine, won a competition organized by Al-Arabi magazine and the London-based BBC Arabic in 2012.
Najla Ibrahim AlKanderi is a Kuwaiti television presenter and Radio presenter. She is best known for hosting several late-night TV shows in Kuwait including Bel Kuwaiti on the AlMajles TV and Layali Al Kuwait on the Kuwait Television.
Istiqlal Ahmad, is a Bahraini actress and media personality of Iraqi origin. She was born and raised in Kuwait, but moved Bahrain after her marriage and stayed there since.
Zainab Abdul Amir Khalil Ibrahim is a Bahraini politician and journalist. On December 12, 2018, she was sworn in as a member of the Council of Representatives for the seventh district of the Capital Governorate.
The Ministry of Information is one of the governmental bodies in the State of Kuwait. It was established on 7 January 1979. The ministry is currently held by Abdulrahman Badah Al Mutairi.
The Ministry of Health is the ministry responsible for the public health of citizens and residents of the State of Kuwait and for drawing up the health policy plan in Kuwait. It was established in 1936, and is now headed by Dr. Ahmad Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi.
The Kuwait Youth Public Authority is one of the public bodies regulated by Law No. 100 of 2015, and in 2021 the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs was merged with the Public Authority for Youth Affairs, which in turn is concerned with youth affairs through their participation in preparing and developing the strategies of the Authority.
Ahmad Nabeel is a Kuwaiti physician, scientist, and entrepreneur.
Essa Ahmad Al-Kandari is a Kuwaiti politician who has served in the National Assembly since 2023. He is also the current Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of National Assembly & Cabinet Affairs serving since 2013. Al-Kandari is the former deputy speaker of the 2016 National Assembly. He was the former Minister of Communications, Municipality, Housing, Social Affairs & Awqaf.
