Bahrains FDI rose by more than $1.8 billion last year, bringing it to almost triple its size in 2005.

Bahrain is the first country in the Middle East to calculate its own FDI.

The Economic Development Board, in collaboration with the MENA Investment Centre and world experts in foreign direct investment, held a workshop yesterday on FDI statistics for analysts, statisticians and policy makers to enable better reporting of FDI in the Gulf region.

The workshop was held at the Diplomat Radisson SAS Hotel and attended by more than 45 people.

Three experts from the Paris-based MENA-OECD Investment Programme outlined the latest standards and parameters for measuring FDI. The international body has recently revised the basic concepts and definitions of direct investment which were first established in 1995.

"Understanding the new policies and standards could help policy makers recognise which areas of their economies are most attractive. This will help them focus their development efforts on the most rewarding sectors," OECD senior economist Gerrit van den Dool said.

OECD international investment statistic manager Ayse Bertrand said that not many countries can completely abide by the new rules owing to their complexity.

"However, if people understand the regulations better, they can use the statistics to improve the way the flow of FDI is reported," she said.