-- While oil and gas remain central to public finances, governments across the Gulf are expanding non-oil activity to reduce exposure to commodity cycles and position their economies for a more technology-driven global landscape.
From Resource Dependence to a Hybrid Development Approach
Across the GCC, diversification efforts include large-scale infrastructure projects, incentives for private-sector growth, and increased spending on innovation-related industries such as artificial intelligence, logistics and advanced services.
Some analysts describe the region’s strategy as a hybrid approach: the state plays a strong steering role while encouraging private investment and maintaining openness to global trade and capital flows.
Dr. Hitmi Khalifa Alhitmi, a marketing and economics professor based in Qatar, describes this development pattern as “Gulfism,” a term he coined to capture what he sees as the GCC’s distinctive formula for long-term growth.
“Gulfism is built around disciplined long-term planning, state-enabled development, and social stability — while still integrating with global markets,” Alhitmi said. “It’s an attempt to describe how the Gulf converts resource wealth into diversified productive capacity.”
Human Capital as a Core Pillar
GCC governments are also investing heavily in education and talent development, expanding scholarship programs, leadership academies and specialized training aligned with future industries.
Policymakers increasingly view human capital as essential to sustaining diversification efforts beyond the build-out phase of infrastructure, especially as economies shift toward knowledge-intensive sectors.
Sustainability and the Energy Transition
In parallel with diversification, the Gulf is increasing investment in renewables and low-carbon technologies — including hydrogen and carbon management — reflecting both climate pressure and market incentives tied to a changing global energy system.
“These moves are not only environmental,” Alhitmi said. “They are also strategic, designed to protect competitiveness as global regulation, technology and consumer expectations evolve.”
Lessons for Resource-Dependent Economies
Observers say the GCC’s experience may offer lessons for other countries that rely heavily on volatile resource revenues. Rather than adopting a single blueprint, analysts point to transferable principles: reinvesting windfalls into diversified sectors, strengthening institutions, developing human capital and maintaining long-term policy continuity.
Alhitmi argues that Gulfism’s value is in organizing these elements into a practical framework that other countries can adapt to their own political and economic contexts.
About the GCC
The Gulf Cooperation Council, founded in 1981, includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The bloc was created to promote regional cooperation and is increasingly focused on economic modernization and post-oil planning.
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Dr. Hitmi Khalifa Alhitmi
Professor and Marketing Expert, Gulfism
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