Kuwait Proposes 'Gulf Industrial Passport' for Products

The National Fund for the Care and Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) submitted a proposal to develop the “Gulf Industrial Product Passport” during the sixth consultative meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Ministers of Trade and Industry with entrepreneurs, held in the Bahraini capital, Manama.

In a statement to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), the Fund said that the SME and Entrepreneurship Committee of the GCC Secretariat General prepared the proposals, recommendations, and challenges, and presented them at the consultative meeting held on Tuesday, attended by the Minister of State for Economic and Investment Affairs and Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry, Abdulaziz Al-Marzouq, who headed the Kuwaiti delegation.

The statement clarified that the sixth consultative meeting of the Ministers of Trade and Industry with entrepreneurs was held in implementation of the directives of the Trade Cooperation Committee to enhance dialogue with entrepreneurs and involve them in developing the Gulf entrepreneurial ecosystem. It noted that the report was prepared in accordance with the updated and approved methodology, within the framework of the governance of the SME and Entrepreneurship Committee.

The report highlighted the main challenges and proposals put forward by participating entrepreneurs, based on the outputs of the Gulf survey, brainstorming sessions, and the views of entrepreneurs and member states, contributing to enriching the committee’s action plan. This was done under the ministers’ directives to examine practical initiatives that enhance the competitiveness, integration, and sustainability of the sector.

Regarding the Kuwaiti proposal, the “Gulf Industrial Product Passport,” presented by entrepreneur Omar Al-Mutairi, who is funded by the National Fund and one of the initiating participants in the meeting, the statement explained that it refers to a single digital file for each product, not a new paper passport or license. The file would be linked to existing regulations and consolidate under a single number the key product data, including manufacturer details, country of origin, customs classification, compliance, and required accreditations.

It added that when a product moves from one GCC country to another, the competent authority could directly access its approved data, rather than requiring the manufacturer to resubmit the same information each time. This would be complemented by a faster track for compliant, low-risk manufacturers.

The Fund noted that the Kuwaiti proposal comes after GCC member states have made significant progress in customs and industrial integration. It pointed out that the current challenge is to ensure that information flows as easily as products do. Manufacturers entering multiple Gulf markets may have to deal with different systems and authorities, resubmitting data and documents that have already been registered or approved, which consumes time and increases operational costs.

The statement said that the SME Committee at the GCC Secretariat General recommended coordinating with the relevant technical committees on industrial matters and concerned entities within the Secretariat General to review existing efforts related to the Kuwaiti proposal, assess its integration with them, and evaluate its added value.

The Fund added that all GCC countries submitted recommendations for the development of SMEs. Entrepreneurs in the United Arab Emirates proposed establishing Gulf product corridors, while Bahraini entrepreneurs suggested a unified Gulf mechanism to reduce technical challenges and enable entrepreneurs to access government services digitally.

Entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia proposed activating a Gulf linking mechanism and creating a Gulf platform to support innovators and creators, while the Sultanate of Oman’s proposal focused on organizing periodic meetings. Qatari initiators called for developing a flexible Gulf framework for the shared use of resources and operational capacities.