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.
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.”[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.
| 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 |