Entrepreneurship award ‘aims to boost innovation, creativity’

Tamkeen Chief Executive Dr Ebrahim Janahi met with members of the local media and thought leaders to talk about the upcoming edition of the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship. The event was part of “Meeting an Official”, an initiative co-ordinated by the National Communication Centre (NCC) to enhance communication between senior government officials and the media community about various issues of public interest.

The initiative supports the NCC’s efforts to facilitate direct, transparent and frank dialogues as part of its active partnership with various ministries and government bodies, as well as inform the public on the latest developments on projects and measures undertaken by the government. During the meeting, Dr Janahi profiled several Tamkeen projects, including the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship, which is patronised by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister.

The award aims to recognise Bahraini entrepreneurs and motivate them to continue innovating across all business sectors, in line with the national economic development goals of Vision 2030 spearheaded by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. “Through the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship, Bahrain seeks to promote and entrench the principles of innovation and creativity in order to advance policies and initiatives that encourage entrepreneurship and support the national economy,” Dr Janahi said.

“The Kingdom of Bahrain has made big strides in fostering and encouraging entrepreneurship through various programmes and initiatives catering specifically to this sector, such as this award,” he added. The Chief Executive of Tamkeen went on to note that the award includes several qualitative and quantitative criteria to ensure a balanced evaluation approach for each nominee, including the level of entrepreneurship, strategies followed, leadership and innovation exhibited and corporate responsibility.

The nominees will compete across a number of categories, including micro-enterprise of the Year, Start-up of the Year, SME of the Year, Enterprise of the Year with an International Footprint, Sustainable Business Award, Female Entrepreneur of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award. As part of Tamkeen’s longstanding mission, the award continues to bolster the private sector’s efforts in further strengthening the Kingdom’s economy, through supporting and honouring local entrepreneurs The prestigious Award was launched in 2015, under the patronage of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

It is a pioneering national programme aimed at motivating and inspiring local business owners to contribute to Bahrain’s economic prosperity. The award provides a leading local platform structured to enhance business innovations and promote the culture of entrepreneurship in the Bahraini community. The fourth edition is anticipated to attract a greater number of participants in the wake of the continuous growth of the entrepreneurship sector in Bahrain, along with the growing desire of local entrepreneurs to compete for the award. 

Fatima Al Serafi, NCC Director of Communication and Media Relations, delivered a brief opening address in which she underlined the NCC’s drive to facilitate positive dialogue and enhanced co-operation between the government sector and the media. Such efforts, she noted, will serve to keep the public fully abreast of the latest projects and plans, as well as shed light on the efforts undertaken by all concerned parties to promote and advance Bahrain.