Tamkeen supports SMEs and startups participation at the Bahrain Pavilion in GITEX 2022

The upcoming GITEX Exhibition 2022 kicks off on Monday 10th October and is scheduled to run for five days at the Dubai World Trade Centre, with over 140 countries participating.

The Labour Fund “Tamkeen” will sponsor the Bahrain Pavilion, which hosts the participation of 30 Bahraini SMEs and startups in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Additionally, several partners active in Bahrain’s startup ecosystem will represent the Kingdom at the event this year, with Bahrain’s participation being organized in collaboration with the Bahrain Technology Companies Society (BTECH).

The participation of Bahraini businesses at this year’s exhibition reflects the Kingdom’s leading role in global forums, highlighting the Bahrain’s continuous support for the local startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem, which in turn facilitates the growth of a number of economic sectors, including the high-potential ICT sector. This positively impacts the national economy and helps create high quality, sustainable jobs for locals. The exhibition also presents an opportunity for the attraction of direct investment in the technology industry, allowing local companies to benefit from their experience. Participants will also have the opportunity to increase their exposure and network with key global players through a series of events, meetings, and workshops, which will help pave the way for potential investment.

On this occasion, Ms. Maha Mofeez Acting Chief Executive of the Labour Fund “Tamkeen” reiterated Tamkeen’s continuous efforts to empower Bahraini enterprises and support them by facilitating their participation at this year’s GITEX exhibition, a key platform for some of the largest global companies in the ICT field. She said, “This participation highlights Bahrain’s position as a tech hub in both the GCC and the Middle East. It will provide local enterprises the opportunity to meet key players in this space, allowing them to view the latest technological developments, while also offering them the chance to showcase their own products and services to potential customers”.

The Chairman of the Bahrain Technology Companies Society (BTECH), Mr Tareq Fakhroo, praised the ongoing partnership with Tamkeen, emphasizing the importance of this cooperation to further develop the technology sector in the Kingdom by benchmarking against the latest products and trends of leading international tech companies, while also supporting digital transformation by implementing technologies in response to rapid changes in the global economy.

This year, over 100,000 visitors from around the world are expected to attend GITEX, creating opportunities to build strong business networks and sustainable relationships with key decision makers from leading global companies, as well as a range of customers and the global tech community. 

Tamkeen announced registration for companies to exhibit at the Bahrain Pavilion through its official channels earlier this summer, following which several candidates were selected to participate.

This support adds to the other ICT and digitalization initiatives and partnerships recently announced by Tamkeen, including a collaboration with the world’s leading Technology Academy “General Assembly” that aims to provide technical training for 1,200 Bahrainis as part of its efforts to upskill local talent and bridge the skills gap in the market. This comes as part of Tamkeen’s mandate to ensure that Bahrainis are the employee of choice in the labor market locally and internationally.