AmCham forum begins today

Manama : AmCham MENA Regional Council’s Annual Forum will open today at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Bahrain with more than 300 high-level delegates in attendance.
The two-day event is aimed at promoting the expansion of trade and investment between the markets of the MENA region and the United States.
The Forum’s opening ceremony features  a number of high level speakers addressing issues critical to enhancing economic relations and trade. This includes welcoming remarks from William Roebuck, US Ambassador to Bahrain, and a keynote address from the United States’ top-ranking diplomat for the MENA region, Ambassador Stuart E. Jones, Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary at the Bureau for Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department based in Washington DC.
Ambassador Jones will launch discussions on the Forum’s theme SMEs: Unlocking Economic Potential in the MENA Region. Other keynote addresses are to be delivered by Zayed bin Rashid Alzayani, Bahrain’s Minister of Industry, Commerce & Tourism and Khush Choksy, Senior Vice President, Middle East and Turkey Affairs, US Chamber of Commerce.
Qays H. Zu’bi, President of AmCham Bahrain, said, “As the current Chairs of the AmCham MENA Council, we are honoured to host this year’s Forum in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The opportunities between our markets are exponential and it is the primary mission of the Council and our AmChams to see these opportunities realized.”
Zu’bi added, “We look forward to strong outcomes and the acceleration of business activity based on the common values, principles and mutual economic interests that have been affirmed here today.”
The first day’s programme consists of three strategic panel discussions covering: “The Regional SME Ecosystem: A Fresh look at Thriving Techniques”, “SME Financing Opportunities and Export Support Programmes” and “Private Sector Panel: The Integration of SMEs into the Supply Chain of US/Multinational Companies in the Region.”
The afternoon wraps up with a B2B networking session. Sectors in focus are financial services, industry, technology, retail, hospitality, F&B and real estate, among others.
Day two will see continued strategic engagement. Participants will take part in workshops and a special SME Pitch Session with which the Forum will conclude. Workshops include: “How to do Business with the U.S. Government” and “A Guide to U.S. and International Trade Fairs and Breaking into the U.S. Market” followed by a special discussion session on “Unlocking the Power of Women Led SMEs” featuring Princess Basmah Bint Saud and other leading women entrepreneurs.
Similarly the SME Pitch Session, conducted by CH9 with technical cooperation from Microsoft, aims to provide SMEs with valuable insights and guidance from a high-level jury panel to help them more effectively scale up for international trade and investment. The session will see 10 promising MENA companies present their business case to groups of potential partners, investors and clients. Senior representatives from the US and MENA governments, multilateral financing institutions, private sectors companies and representatives from the US Chamber of Commerce and the MENA Council member AmChams of Abu Dhabi-UAE, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia will be present. Representatives from other regional US Business Councils and a broad range of international and regional business associations including those from Saudi Arabia and the Kurdistan region of Iraq will also be present.