Shura to debate adverts on public building wall space

TDT | Manama

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Spare wall space on public buildings could be used for adverts under a draft change that the Shura Council is due to take up on Sunday, 18 January, after the Public Utilities and Environment Committee backed the plan.

The proposal amends Article 12 of Decree-Law No. 14 of 1973 on regulating advertisements, attached to Decree No. 27 of 2025.

The aim is to allow government bodies to rent out vacant spots on public buildings, or parts of buildings used for public services, as advertising space, under rules to be set by a ministerial decision.

A blanket ban in the current law would remain in place, but the amendment adds an exception for adverts placed under those rules.

The committee said it reviewed the draft law and the Council of Representatives’ decision and attachments, after MPs agreed the bill.

It also looked at the view of the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, which supported the approach.

The Shura Council’s Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee said the draft was sound from both constitutional and legal standpoints, according to the Public Utilities and Environment Committee.

Revenue

In its report, the committee said the change would widen the areas that can be used for advertising, with revenue expected through licensing fees and other returns linked to use of the sites.

It added that the ministerial rules are meant to keep adverts from harming the look of public buildings or affecting the public services provided from them.