Tamkeen celebrates Bahraini Women's Day

With Bahrain celebrating Bahraini Women’s Day today (Dec 1), Tamkeen, as part of its wider role to support Bahrainis and private sector enterprises, is celebrating the role of women, having worked diligently to create opportunities for Bahraini women to succeed and contribute to economic development. 

These efforts were recognised recently when Tamkeen received Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka Award for Bahraini Women Empowerment for 2014, placing third in the category of government institutions. This is the second time it has been honoured by Her Royal Highness, having previously won the award in 2009. 

Winning the award and substantial increase in the number of women served by Tamkeen’s support programmes reflects the nation’s leadership’s directives to empower Bahraini women and provide equal opportunities for all strata of society to actively participate in national development through various initiatives. 

Commenting on the occasion, Tamkeen Chairman and Acting Chief Executive His Excellency Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa said, “The progress of Bahraini women in the private sector is testimony that organisations such as Tamkeen are indeed making a positive difference. We are immensely thankful to Her Royal Highness Prince Sabeeka for her support and encouragement in this regard.” 

"Bahraini women comprise around 35% of the total Bahraini workforce, and therefore it is of the utmost importance to create an environment that is conducive to their success, whether as entrepreneurs, business owners, employees, students, or graduates. We will continue our concerted efforts to work with our strategic partners to support women in the private sector,” His Excellency Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa added. 

Of the 100,000 Bahrainis and enterprises Tamkeen has served to date, nearly half of them have been women. 

In addition to the general support programmes launched to serve the private sector, Tamkeen also launched dedicated initiatives which cater to the specific needs of women. A special equal opportunities committee was created within Tamkeen to work with strategic partners to develop and execute these programmes. 

Among these programmes was Riyadat Mall, a pioneering initiative which recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. The mall, launched in cooperation with the Supreme Council for Women and Bahrain Development Bank, is the very first business incubator in the region catering exclusively to businesswomen. Located in A’ali, the mall currently houses 60 outlets ranging from restaurants and cafes, to home decor, fashion, and more. 

Other initiatives targeting women include facilitating micro-loans for women-owned businesses and productive families, grants to help set up business in a range of fields such as transportation, photography, and fashion, and training workshops designed to improve basic skills of Bahraini women to enable them to find gainful employment.