Bahraini industry and commerce minister chairs meeting on SMEs

The Main Coordination Committee for Supporting SMEs of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, held its 19th meeting in the presence of Ministries and government officials and private sector representatives.
Industry and Commerce Minister Dr. Hassan Abdullah Fakhroo expressed the government's appreciation for the efforts exerted by the committee members in order to promote its work and achieve the desired goals.
The meeting started with reviewing issues pertaining to the previous meeting and the follow-up steps undertaken by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and other relevant authorities, affirming the Ministry's keenness to ensure the workflow and implementation of the committee’s recommendations, a number of issues and updates regarding SMEs sector.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC)'s team in charge of the online portal of SME Toolkit gave a brief about the workflow of the portal which aims to develop and promote SMEs and entrepreneurship sectors in Bahrain, in an activation for the agreement between the Ministry and IFC , which is a member of the World Bank Group.
Tamkeen screened a presentation about its new strategy to support SMEs, then the Ministry featured a proposal about establishing a council for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) so as to monitor and organise the activities pertaining entrepreneurship and the enhancement of SMEs.
Committee’s members expressed their appreciation for the efforts of the government and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to facilitate procedures for SMEs and help them overcome all obstacles.
They praised the support provided to them either directly or indirectly through institutions, technical support, and the initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which fall within their strategies and orientations based mainly on Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030.
The meeting was attended by representatives from INJAZ Bahrain, Bahrain Development Bank (BDB), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Tamkeen, Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Bahrain Businessmen’s Society, the Bahraini Businesswomen's Society, Bahrain Small & Medium Enterprises Society, Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, Ministry of Health and representatives from the Kingdom of Bahrain's private sector.