
Bahrain's Tamkeen ‘remains committed to boosting job opportunities'
Bahraini citizens remain at the heart of national development, Isa Bin Salman Education Charitable Trust board of trustees chairman and Labour Fund (Tamkeen) board of directors chairman Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa reaffirmed yesterday.
He emphasised that investing in their potential is a top priority to empower their continued contributions toward realising Bahrain's national vision.
Chairing Tamkeen's first quarter board of directors meeting, Shaikh Isa acknowledged the unwavering support Bahraini talent receives from His Majesty King Hamad and the steadfast efforts of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister – reflecting the leadership's strong belief in their essential role in the kingdom's ongoing development and progress.
He praised the achievements made by Team Bahrain in the first quarter of 2025, highlighting the spirit of collaboration and shared commitment to advancing opportunities in employment, training and entrepreneurship.
'These accomplishments underscore the nation's continued dedication to creating impactful programmes that position Bahrainis as the preferred choice in the labour market,' he said.
Shaikh Isa underscored the importance of ensuring the highest quality in Tamkeen's training programmes, emphasising the need for alignment with labour market demands and adherence to international standards. He also highlighted the importance of enhancing the quality of services provided to both citizens and enterprises.
The meeting reviewed Tamkeen's key achievements for the first quarter and its strategic priorities for the year ahead. Developments on ongoing support initiatives were discussed, centred around Tamkeen's three core pillars: Employment Support, Career Development Support and Enterprise Support.
Among the key directives issued during the meeting was the launch of the largest-ever AI training package, which aims to upskill 50,000 Bahrainis in Artificial Intelligence by 2030.
Additionally, a new policy and incentive were approved to enhance support for people of determination under the National Employment Programme, including an additional 10 per cent support annually.
Tamkeen chief executive Maha Mofeez presented an overview of Tamkeen's quarterly achievements, including support for more than 5,000 Bahrainis entering the labour market, 5,500 Bahrainis benefiting from training and career development initiatives, and for 2,500 enterprises across various sectors to enhance growth, digital transformation, and productivity.
The board also reviewed key upcoming plans aimed at increasing the impact of Tamkeen's support programmes and achieving the strategic priorities for the year. These priorities focus on strengthening the competitiveness of Bahraini talent, aligning skills with private sector needs, fostering enterprise growth, promoting digital transformation and sustainability, and supporting the broader ecosystem that underpins private sector and labour market development – contributing to long-term economic growth.
Copyright 2022 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Fintech News ME
4 days ago
- Fintech News ME
BENEFIT Launches Fourth Edition of Masar Fintech Internship Programme
BENEFIT, a company in Bahrain's fintech and electronic financial transactions sector, has announced the launch of the fourth edition of its annual fintech internship programme, Masar. The initiative is aimed at providing Bahraini youth with practical experience and skills development opportunities in the fintech field. This year's edition of Masar will support 40 selected participants, offering them the chance to gain industry exposure, enhance their problem-solving capabilities, and engage with ongoing developments in Bahrain's digital economy. Open to Bahraini university students and members of the BENEFIT team, the programme is intended to foster inclusive talent development. It combines advanced training in emerging financial technologies with hands-on workshops, allowing participants to work on real-world projects under the supervision of experienced professionals. Salah Al Awadhi, Chief Human Resources Officer at BENEFIT, stated: 'This initiative underscores our ongoing efforts to support national talent by equipping young Bahrainis with the skills needed to navigate the fintech sector. We recognise the importance of investing in human capital to ensure long-term development.' He added that the programme is structured to develop a generation of skilled individuals prepared to meet the shifting demands of the fintech industry. Through its emphasis on experiential learning and applied knowledge, Masar aims to prepare participants to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain's Vision 2030 and its broader ambitions for a knowledge-based economy.


Fintech News ME
12-05-2025
- Fintech News ME
MENA and Turkey See Booming Fintech Sector with 26 Soonicorns
The fintech ecosystem across the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey (MENAT) is experiencing a period of remarkable growth and maturation. According to a recent report by Lucidity Insights, sponsored by SAP, nearly 900 fintech companies in the region have secured funding. Among them, nine have reached unicorn startups, while 26 are so-called 'soonicorns,' or ventures on the verge of achieving billion-dollar valuations. The report, released in February, provides an overview of the region's burgeoning fintech ecosystem, highlighting soaring fintech adoption rates and increased investor interest. 400+ scaleups among which 26 soonicorns MENAT is now home to 898 funded fintech startups, including 465 scaleups. These companies have demonstrated significant growth and market traction, and are indicative of the rapid growth of MENAT's maturing fintech sector, and growing demand for digital financial services. Across the region, the UAE boasts the most fintech scaleups with 155 ventures, representing one third of all fintech scaleups in MENAT. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is followed by Israel with 141 (30%), Saudi Arabia with 47 (10%) and Egypt with 46 (10%). Among MENAT's 898 funded fintech companies, 26 have risen to soonicorn status, having raised over US$100 million each and positioning them on the path to unicorn status. These include BioCatch, a regtech company from Israel, Rain Financial, a digital currency startup from Bahrain, Foodics, a cloud point-of-sale (POS) restaurant system from Saudi Arabia, and Yassir, a super-app form Algeria. MENAT's 26 soonicorns companies complement the region's nine fintech unicorns, which include buy now, pay later (BNPL) leaders Tabby, based the UAE, and Tamara, from Saudi Arabia, Egypt's super-app MNT-Halan, and eToro, a digital brokerage platform from Israel. Paytech as the top fintech vertical Like most regions in the world, payments and transfers are the largest and most advanced fintech vertical in MENAT. The sector has accumulated over US$5.4 billion in funding over the past two decades, and has given rise to some of MENAT's biggest and most successful ventures. Egypt's digital payment platform Fawry, for example, had raised US$122 million before its initial public offering (IPO) in 2019. Similarly, UAE BNPL startup Tabby has secured about US$600 billion in equity funding so far. The startup is now preparing for a stock market listing within 18 months, its chief executive told Reuters in February. But as MENAT's fintech landscape grows and mature, other verticals, including lending, digital assets, and wealthtech, are gaining traction, drawing significant investor interest. Bahraini digital currency exchange Rain Financial has secured about US$200 million to date. UAE business-to-business (B2B) wealthtech provider Alpheya has raised US$300 million in funding, while PayEm, a procurement and spend management platform from Israel, has attracted US$247 million in equity and credit financing so far. Cross-sector fintech players are also emerging. Careem, once known solely as a mobility platform, has expanded into remittances and digital wallets, positioning itself as a regional super-app. Similarly, Foodics, initially launched as a foodtech company, has entered the fintech space through restaurant financing solutions. 500 Global, Flat6Labs among top fintech investors The rapid growth of fintech in MENAT has been propelled by an expanding and increasingly active investor base. This includes a mix of local and international venture capital (VC) firms, as well as incubators and accelerators supporting early-stage startups. Among the most active players, 500 Global leads with 55 fintech investments totaling US$89.4 million between 2018 and October 2024. It is followed by Flat6Labs from Egypt with 33 deals amounting to US$6.5 million, Y Combinator with 30 investments worth US$250.3 million, and VentureSouq with 28 fintech deals totaling US$245.1 million. When looking at total capital deployed, Saudi Technology Ventures (STV) leads the market with over US$924 million across 16 regional fintech companies. This comes as no surprise, as STV is one of the few later stage investors in the region, investing only in startups that are at the Series B stage or higher, and thus larger tickets. Abu Dhabi's Shorooq Partners follows close behind STV with US $879 million invested across 24 regional fintech companies largely across Seed to Series A startups. Finally, Dubai's MEVP falls in a distant third place, with investments totaling US$374 million across 17 fintech deals, acting mainly as a growth stage investor in the Series A category. Fintech adoption surges MENAT's fintech boom has been fueled by growing demand for digital financial services. This demand stems from the region's young, digitally native population, high smartphone penetration, and proactive government initiatives aimed at modernizing financial infrastructure and boosting digital payment usage. In 2023, penetration rates of key fintech solutions in several MENAT countries reached or exceeded levels seen in mature markets like the US, the UK and Australia. In particular, countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Israel have emerged as fintech leaders in the region. In Saudi Arabia, for example, monthly mobile payment service usage was among the world's highest in 2023 at 35.2%, surpassing the UK at 34.1%, the US at 31.3%, as well as the global average at 23.7%. Turkey, meanwhile, leads in cryptocurrency ownership, with 21.7% of consumers reporting owning digital assets in 2023, followed by the UAE at 15.3%. These countries are well ahead of the US at 12.8%, Australia at 11.7% and India at 13.3%.


Zawya
06-05-2025
- Zawya
Kuwait, Bahrain discuss strengthening civil aviation coop.
KUWAIT: Head of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Sheikh Humoud Mubarak Humoud Al-Sabah met Monday with Bahraini Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa on how to enhance cooperation in civil aviation. In a press statement, the DGCA said the meeting addressed mechanisms for exchanging technical and operational expertise, coordinating joint efforts to advance the civil aviation sector in line with global developments, and reflecting the deep-rooted relations between the two countries. The two sides emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships and integration in air transport, applying best practices in airport operations, and ensuring the safety and security of air navigation. Discussions also covered the need to improve the efficiency of national workforces, expand specialized training programs, and exchange information on aviation safety, security, and navigation systems - all aimed at building a sustainable aviation ecosystem that supports the national economy and aligns with international standards. All KUNA right are reserved © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (