A call for collective survival

Shura Council Deputy Chairman, Jamal Fakhro has proposed a "beehive" national economic forum to shift Bahrain from state dependency to collective survival, crucial amid supply chain crises.

While the Shura is rightfully the place where the most intellectually awakened minds of Bahrain will discuss and come up with solutions for matters of national import, it is only the beginning of the corrective action. This requires a dedicated steering committee to convert collaboration into actionable emergency directives.

While this model offers immediate risk mitigation, shared responsibility, and creative problem-solving by breaking down institutional silos, it faces risks of bureaucratic paralysis, enforcement challenges, and a misalignment between long-term academic planning and the urgent liquidity needs of businesses. The proposed model calls for a partnership involving key, but unlinked, entities like the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry to manage these trade-offs effectively.

The proposed "Beehive" economic forum seeks to pivot Bahrain from state handouts to a resilient, collaborative model driven by a steering committee of public and private stakeholders. To ensure long-term sustainability, this initiative must focus on equipping youth with specialized skills for a fast-changing workplace, including logistics analytics, digital supply chain management, and agile financial technologies, in partnership with local universities and Tamkeen.

On that note, I was surprised during the recent business crisis due to the conflict with Iran, when business owners immediately chose to compare their condition with the pandemic days and ask for Tamkeen handouts for rent, utilities and staff salary but not one request to enable skills upgrade for their Bahraini team members.

When the going gets tough…the tough pick up a new skill-set. That is what makes them stronger for a changing marketplace.