The Labour Fund “Tamkeen” announced the 15th anniversary for the launch of one of the Global Entrepreneurship Network “GEN” initiatives- the “Global Entrepreneurship Week”, which will be held from 14th-20th November, 2022. This initiative hosts over 180 countries around the world and aims to support the entrepreneurship ecosystem in each country, as well as instill an entrepreneurial mindset, further encouraging aspiring entrepreneurs to enter this space and launch their projects.

During this period, several partners and leaders in the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Kingdom will collaborate to run around 15 events to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of “Global Entrepreneurship Week”. This year’s event covers four themes: education, the entrepreneurship ecosystem, inclusiveness, and supportive policies.

The “Global Entrepreneurship Week” initiative brings together entrepreneurs, investors, decisionmakers, and other stakeholders to exchange their experiences in entrepreneurship to explore the solutions that foster economic growth, in line with Tamkeen’s strategic transformation. Tamkeen announced the launch of sixteen programs earlier this year. These programs support enterprise and individual growth and development, focusing on creating positive impact in the national economy, considering labor market requirements

On this occasion, Ms. Maha Mofeez, Acting Chief Executive of the Labour Fund “Tamkeen” highlighted Tamkeen’s role in supporting the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Kingdom. Commenting, “since Tamkeen’s establishment, we have worked to diversify the services provided, which are not limited to financial support, but also extend to spreading awareness about the ecosystem in Bahrain, while also encouraging youth to start their own businesses by offering a variety of programs and initiatives- one of which is the Entrepreneurship Week. Through this global initiative, we will be able to connect entrepreneurs from inside and outside the Kingdom with Bahraini individuals interested in taking the entrepreneurship route to benefit from the experiences of specialists, experts, and entrepreneurs, thus positively contributing to economic prosperity and growth.”

Additionally, Mr. Esam Hammad, Executive Director of Marketing and Customer Experience in Tamkeen and Managing Director of the Global Entrepreneurship Network, Bahrain, reiterated the importance of celebrating the 15th anniversary Global Entrepreneurship Week, which was launched by the Global Entrepreneurship Network who work across several countries around the world to promote a unified, sustainable, and flexible entrepreneurship ecosystem, while also providing great exposure for entrepreneurs, encouraging them to meet their counterparts from around the world to benefit from their experiences, as well as encouraging individuals with creative ideas to start their businesses, thus creating high value sustainable jobs for local talent, positively impacting the national economy.

He stated: “Celebrating the 15th anniversary for the launch of the Global Entrepreneurship Week is a continuation for the initiatives of the Global Entrepreneurship Network in the Kingdom of Bahrain, which successfully hosted the Global Entrepreneurship Conference (GEC) in 2019 in collaboration with Tamkeen. The event featured over 110 sessions and over 240 local, regional, and international speakers, and was attended by over 3,000 individuals from 170 countries including thousands of entrepreneurs and investors to discuss various economic topics, as well as exploring new ways to support startups and expand their reach on a global level to sustain the vital role they play in developing the entrepreneurship sector in the Kingdom. He added: “Joining the Global Entrepreneurship Network contributed to highlighting Bahrain’s entrepreneurship ecosystem on a global scale, as it was ranked among the most supportive ecosystems to SMEs in the region.”

It is worth mentioning that the Global Entrepreneurship Week will raise awareness among Bahraini entrepreneurs about the international opportunities available to them such as the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) which featured over 370,000 entrepreneurs from over 200 countries across the world. Since launching in 2019, the EWC has awarded $3 million in cash prizes, $150 million in in-kind prizes and provided opportunities for entrepreneurs at all levels to reach the next stage in their journey by providing them with access to world-class training and resources, enhancing their visibility, and working to connect them to mentors and investors.

Since its establishment, Tamkeen has supported over 65,000 enterprises in the Kingdom of Bahrain through its various support programs and initiatives. The support initiatives were provided in several forms, including the Business Continuity Program through which more than 22,000 enterprises were supported during the pandemic. Moreover, Tamkeen supported more than 19,000 entrepreneurs to launch their new business ventures, fostering a thriving ecosystem for startups in the Kingdom.

All activities for this year’s Global Entrepreneurship Week will be announced through the official social media channels of Tamkeen and the relevant partners.