Tamkeen (Labour Fund)
P.O. Box 18131, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
Tel: +973-17383333, Fax: +973-17382352 email: info@tamkeen.bh www.tamkeen.bh
Board of Directors
Shaikh Mohammed Bin Essa Al-Khalifa
Chairman
Khalid Ali Rashid Al-Amin
Vice Chairman
In 2015, Tamkeen’s Board of Directors consisted of 8 members representing the organisations which play a vital role in the development of the private sector.
Representing the public sector on the Board were Shaikh Mohammed Bin Essa Al Khalifa (Chairman), Dr. Zakaria Ahmed Hejres, and Mr. Abdulellah Ebrahim Al-Qassimi.Board members from the private sector were Mr. Khalid Ali Rashid Al-Amin (Vice-Chairman), Mr. Kadhem Isa Al-Saeed, and Mr. Mohammed Adel Fakhro from the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry as representatives of businesses, Mr. Mohammed Abdulrahman Mohammed from the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions as representatives of the Bahraini workforce, and Mr. Hassan Ameen Jarar from the Bahrain Association of Banks as representative of the financial sector.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Essa Al-Halifa
The Political & Economic Affairs Advisor, Court Of Hrh The Crown Prince
Chairman, Tamkeen, Kingdom Of Bahrain
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al-Khalifa is the Political & Economic
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al-Khalifa is the Political & Economic Affairs Advisor at the Court of His Royal Highness The Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa.A respected international commentator in his own right, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed has worked closely with the court of HRH the Crown Prince for over 15 years on the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Economic & Social Reform Program and has been instrumental in its delivery at every juncture. He was appointed to his current role at the Court of HRH the Crown Prince in March 2012.
His Highness holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economic Theory, American University in WashingtonDC, United States and a Post-graduate diploma in Business Studies, London School of Economics
Dr. Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi
Chief Executive, Labour Fund (Tamkeen)
Dr. Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi became Chief Executive of Tamkeen in December 2015.
Dr. Janahi is responsible for overseeing the operations of Tamkeen, and ensuring that it remains focused on helping the private sector to be Bahrain’s main engine of economic growth.
Over his 35-year career, Dr. Janahi has held senior roles in key institutions in the Kingdom of Bahrain, most recently in the education sector. Between 2007 and 2015 he was President of University of Bahrain (UOB).
Between 2002 and 2007 he served as Undersecretary and Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Education, being responsible
for a number of key strategic and policy areas.He joined from UOB, where he was Chairman of the Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering for 4 years.
Dr. Janahi is a Doctor of Philosophy, gained from University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. He also holds a
master of engineering degree in Instrument Design and Application from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and
Technology, and a Bachelor degree in Aeronautical Engineering from The Aviation College, Amsterdam, Holland.
As the Chief Executive of Tamkeen, appointed in December 2015, Dr. Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi was the president of the University of Bahrain between 2007 and 2015. Throughout this period,he headed 1800 faculty members who contributed to the teaching and training of various fields such as engineering, business, science and others.
The wealth of experience he collected throughout these years has allowed him to gain insight into the journey the students go through and what careers they’re likely to have based on their academic studies at the university.
Tamkeen is the primary institution in Bahrain for the provision of vocational training as well as the provision of business support solutions to allow them to grow and develop.
Since its establishment in 2006, Tamkeen’s programmes have served more than 130,000 Bahrainis and business. Tamkeen’s main objective is making the private sector the engine of growth of Bahrain’s economy for sustainable economic development.One of the steps needed to achieve this is the creation of an environment that allows entrepreneurial individuals to bring their ideas to reality. This forms a core part for the growth of any modern economy, as new ideas and concepts need to be injected into the market due to the continuously changing needs as well as the dynamic nature of the economy.
We provide the physical means in order to allow entrepreneurship to thrive. One of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs,start-ups and small businesses, is the provision of funding, as these types of businesses generally have high risk and banks can become reluctant to provide them with the necessary financing.
Tamkeen launched the Finance Scheme in 2007 whereby it supports 50% of the interest of funding provided by a bank to a business, in addition to providing a 50% guarantee to the lending bank. Tamkeen seeks to give entrepreneurs and businessminded individuals with the opportunities to realise their aspirations and goals. Tamkeen only spent BHD 20 million in interest and guarantee payments through the programme, but the resulted provision of more than BHD 340 million in funding through partner banks, and the availability of a BHD 412 million portfolio, have been instrumental for the creation and sustainability of a significant number of businesses in Bahrain.
Since its foundation, Tamkeen went through a number of strategic cycles to adapt to the continuous changes in the economy and the market. As part of the first cycle, which lasted from 2007 to 2010, Tamkeen worked diligently to study market conditions, and formulated private sector focused programmes that go in-line with new business and individual needs that came as a result of these conditions. As Tamkeen moved towards its second strategic cycle, between 2011 and 2014, it continued introducing programmes that cater to particular needs. During this cycle, Tamiceen focused on reaching out to the public regarding its programmes and what they can offer. By the end of 2014, ‘Tamkeen” has become a household name for Bahrainis.
The need for Tamkeen to update its strategy for the 2015 to 2017 timeframe arose with the requirement for comprehensive, actionable, impact driven approach to operation that will enable it to play its role in tackling the relevant labour market and private sector challenges, support the National Economic Strategy and fulfil its mandate. The strategy is underpinned by three key strategic pillars:
• Customer centricity
• Improving quality
• Delivering better results
These pillars continue to drive our programmes and our efforts forward, and we will continue working as per these pillars at least until the end of the 2017 cycle, which at that point, the market may have changed in a way that requires us to make changes once
again to adapt to it.
Tamkeen’s main programmes, the finance scheme, the enterprise support scheme, the professional certification programme, training and wage subsidy support and others will continue. Alongside these programmes, we have many other initiatives that are designed to provide other aspects of support.
Tamkeen will provide eligible business owners and individuals with relevant guidance and advisory services in collaboration with experts at no cost. For businesses, Tamkeen’s Advisory Services will include business mentoring, which targets enterprises seeking direction and expert advice to improve and grow their businesses through long-term direct interaction with experienced mentors. Additionally, business requiring more focused and on spot advice will be able to avail business coaching
services through the platform.
We’re also developing our website further in order to better provide customized solutions to all our customers. We’re working on allowing more forms of support to be applied through the website, in addition to making the user experience throughout the process
smooth and more flexible.
Tamkeen seeks to empower Bahrainis across all development stages and across all valuable sectors in Bahrain. Students who are about to enter the market or decide to further pursue their studies are one such stage. This
stage is highly important.
Dr. Abdulla Al-Sada
Dr. Abdulla Al-Sada is the Acting director of Marketing Communications and a Senior Manager responsible for government affairs and relations in Tamkeen (Bahrain). He previously headed the Project Design and Development directing a number of strategic projects focused on improving the productivity of the private sector and making nationals the
preferred option for employment.
Prior to working in Tamkeen, he held a Senior Consultant post for Performance Management and Business Process Reengineering projects and was a Reform Advisor for the National Education Reforms in the office of Minister of
Education of Bahrain.
Dr. Abdulla holds a DBA from the University of Strathclyde in Management Science.
The Third Edition of the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship
The Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship, supported by Tamkeen, aims to celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit and inspire innovation across all business sectors leading to the economic development in line with the Kingdom’s 2030 vision. The award is the perfect platform to acknowledge the hard work and inspiring stories of Bahraini entrepreneurs and businesses. In total, 14 winners received the prestigious awards, seven during each edition.
The event is held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Economic Development Board in April.
The number of applicants in the first edition amounted to 90 participants, and it increased to 120 participants during the second edition. This year, 140 applications were received resulting in a 20% increase in the number of participation.
A panel of judges, including a number of leading international experts, prominent Bahraini figures and notable entrepreneurs from across the region, evaluated the applications based on the business growth, economic influence, optimization of talent, in addition to leadership, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. The panel of judges included 10 judges during the first edition
and 11 judges during the second edition.
Winners will receive a number of prizes and opportunities to fuel the growth of their businesses. The prizes were revamped this year in order to offer winners cash prizes totaling up to BD150,00 instead of ‘Tamkeen’s’ enterprise support program.
The award gives winners the resources, network and inspiration to be more successful in driving the growth of their businesses. It also aims to highlight the successes of entrepreneurs and promote their contribution to the economic development of the Kingdom.
The award focuses on fostering the next generation of entrepreneurship and to create a business environment that strengthens the position of Bahrain as a successful incubator among the leading international business hubs.
Registration for the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship ran from 1 December and until the 31st of December 2016 where businesses and entrepreneurs registered in the seven award categories that included: 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. The seventh award category is the Lifetime Achievement Award which honors the achievements of accomplished Bahraini entrepreneurs and businesspersons, who has made significant contributions to Bahrain’s economy and community. This category is not open for registration.
The list of awards includes BD10,000 for the Micro-Enterprise of the Year winner and participation in UNIDO’s Entrepreneurship Development Programme; BD20,000 for the Start-Up of the Year Award winner and space in the agricultural growth accelerator if applicable and BD30,000 for the SME of the Year Award with support in the development of a growth plan and
investment promotion through UNIDO.
The Enterprise of the Year with an International Footprint recipient will receive BD40,000, while the Sustainability in Business Award recipient will obtain BD30,000, followed by BD20,000 for the Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner.
The Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship is organized by ‘Tamkeen in association with its’ strategic partners including the Economic Development Board, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, the Bahrain Development Bank, the Bahrain Chamber of Industry and Commerce, as well as its’ knowledge advisors, the Arab International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Investment – Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for Investment and Technology in Bahrain, and Ernst & Young (EY) Bahrain.
For more information please visit
www.bahrainae.com
