The government of Kuwait has completed the installation of 191 surveillance cameras at co-operative societies as it looks to gather strategic inventory, financial and administrative records.
The Ministry of Social Affairs has been rolling out the tech over the past year so it can carry out continuous security and administrative monitoring of the sector, according to reports in the Kuwait Times.
The cameras will be linked to control rooms at the Ministries of Social Affairs, Commerce and Industry, and Interior.
Ministers want to enhance governance and oversight of the sector to improve its leadership and ensure the smooth flow of goods, with the tech enabling direct monitoring of each co-op’s financial and administrative data and strategic inventory levels.
Co-operatives will retain authority over their own affairs, the government says, and data will be restricted to authorised personnel to ensure confidentiality. But any violations will be automatically flagged.
The next phase of the project will incorporate AI with the support of Microsoft to help co-op boards make financial and managerial decisions.
Related: Kuwait’s co-ops rack up $3bn in sales amid privatisation rumours
Co-ops have also been ordered to comply with a new strategy to control the marketing of national produce, with the Ministry of Social Affairs launching the Kuwaiti Farmers’ Corner.
The initiative has been designed to support the country’s farmers and increase the presence of domestic products at co-op outlets.
Social affairs minister Sayed Issa has written to the chairs of co-op boards, telling them to allocate designated spaces in their stores for the Kuwaiti Farmer’s Corner, and to hire a dedicated procurement officer.
The ministry will be sending inspection teams to ensure that co-ops are complying with the regulation.
Non-complience could result in the dismissal of board members and the appointment of alternative leadership, Issa warned.
