׉?4ׁB!בCט{u׉׉ 7cassandra://kXQdXifkt3MDq5e0RSymBokerJKW8_Z_tgtW6XuMgxsRU` ׉ 7cassandra://2ribFxsM3RhQDXCzTNeRNmiQA2ZT6kZGbd9C8pxOECUV`S׉ 7cassandra://FCxdtPVeXcDi0K--9XBWFEl549-Gb1szWHWmh5DArvI `̵׉ 7cassandra://Giwza_jOpJ5C4X_HtI1O_FUCqdAwOt9N_obVhyE0lkE1,͠\v^hdט{u׈׈E\v^hd׉E׉ 7cassandra://FCxdtPVeXcDi0K--9XBWFEl549-Gb1szWHWmh5DArvI `̵\v^hd\v^hd{בCט{u׉׉ 7cassandra://5nrtLssQYah9tQt3jNaUEbfEStwiagSm3gQ2AMO4oM4` ׉ 7cassandra://dDDzJqlLAJZK9mpdQ1vIIQ-jtgdaIC3MSWpMgZxXbWU'`S׉ 7cassandra://cXphkxnSYhK7-1o-MHjw989AI00PO5RwQY4XnUiSMM4 `̵׉ 7cassandra://9rooXdrBS0hldl-GlkKXkNhV8XA4DhsdFgzGaA5sS6gF ͠\v^hdט{u׉׉ 7cassandra://It4XJYKfTUYit-LTa79TXWlDyuU0hwNbIK3mualVb6g` ׉ 7cassandra://bZFTWTBrnJbEGAHPnH7XSJtU66WqLfUUuaFE_kn0eWYM`S׉ 7cassandra://zPZ8Mubu_sz_5uNAXnLiw2QHn973qL-q5Zkn47FOz88$`̵׉ 7cassandra://gewngyBrcIdCL6zXyfIc3LQA5mttlw69wA_dizifX64͠\v^hdנ\v^hdt"9׉SG ׁ ׁ rנ\v^hdt2"9׉SG ׁ ׁ rנ\v^hdtT"9׉SG ׁ ׁ rנ\v^hdtv"9׉SG ׁ ׁ rנ\v^hdt"9׉SG ׁ ׁ rנ\v^hdt"9׉SG ׁ ׁ rנ\v^hdtށ"9׉SG ׁ ׁ rנ\v^hdt"9׉SG ׁ ׁ rנ\v^hdt""9׉SG ׁ ׁ rנ\v^hdtE"9׉SG ׁ ׁ rנ\v^hdtg"9׉SG ׁ ׁ rנ\v^hdt"9׉SG ׁ ׁ rנ\v^hdt"9׉SG ׁ ׁ r׉EContents ITPO Bahrain participates in BITEX 2018 and MEET ICT ............................................................................ 3 Green Initiative: EWA and ITPOBahrain Join Hands .................................................................................... 3 Supporting the Agricultural Sector ................................................................................................................... 3 UNIDOITPO AND UNE welcome UNE Executive Director ........................................................................ 4 Capacity Building Program: Incubation Management Systems ............................................................. 5 EDIP entrepreneur organizes community event .......................................................................................... 5 ITPO hosts its 100th EDIP batch ........................................................................................................................... 6 Unbound 2018: Supporting Start-ups .............................................................................................................. 6 FORSATI: Supporting women in the ICT sector ............................................................................................ 6 The International Conference for Entrepreneurship and Innovation ................................................... 7 Health and Wellness Promotion: National Sports Day Activities ........................................................... 8 BTI 2018 Career Week: Encouraging the Youth to be Job Creators ..................................................... 8 The Gateway to Success: Harshad Jani ............................................................................................................ 8 2 ׉ 7cassandra://cXphkxnSYhK7-1o-MHjw989AI00PO5RwQY4XnUiSMM4 `̵\v^hd׉EITPO Bahrain participates in BITEX 2018 and MEET ICT 13 to 15 February 2018 Manama, Bahrain MEET ICT and BITEX 2018, held under the patronage of H.E. Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, Minister of Transportation and telecommunications is the biggest yearly ICT event in the country. ITPO Bahrain as an ‘Event Partner” assisted with the identification and nomination of international entrepreneurs who speakers attended and as delegates as well as various other ICT entrepreneurs who exhibited products/services during the event. their Green Initiative: EWA and ITPOBahrain Join Hands 16 February 2018 Manama, Bahrain The Minister of Water and Electricity Affairs (EWA) met with the Head of ITPOBahrain to discuss ways in which they can work together to increase the use of Supporting the Agricultural Sector 26 February 2018 Manama, Bahrain Hashim Hussein, Head of ITPO Bahrain, and Ibrahim Adam Al Dukheri, General Director of the Arab Organisation for Agricultural exchanged Development (AOAD), letters with the aimto support agro entrepreneurs.Hashim Hussein said: “we are aiming to bring the right kind of technology that will enable entrepreneurs develop and flourish”. to further renewable energy in both residential and commercial buildings. As one of many other efforts, ITPO Bahrain suggested to provide training to all those who wish to establish businesses in related areas. The two sides hope the collaboration will increase over time. 3 ׉ 7cassandra://zPZ8Mubu_sz_5uNAXnLiw2QHn973qL-q5Zkn47FOz88$`̵\v^hd\v^hd{בCט{u׉׉ 7cassandra://9Fuh-Ibe4sC4_0XJw0hxJcq8FlCYQz1aUOClQSqEDz0\` ׉ 7cassandra://rUvm6UZtIdkKNcl2IsV7h8kB8iGUttzkUNleUgrSsgQ?`S׉ 7cassandra://m8gu3qykw0j17PhoVUbid1ozhSV6FGmn-g_o8pg9Hsk`̵׉ 7cassandra://_g2fcaDdHkhO5lwmwAcjDXm3XG6nSfueepkTfASVZAg @͠\v^hd ט{u׉׉ 7cassandra://TWxaqiqS-0xO2ST8ydYPZtSSBEg8Ad8C_G_OEPlM1Wo` ׉ 7cassandra://iwfGk6HZ3J6qwH3AQTekO_D28_QpNFzWvlETwct-QGkR`S׉ 7cassandra://1NvyeV16cs5suK8OROU0FVobGdqE4oZbL9dm8DcY3-s3`̵׉ 7cassandra://QjxlBUEnWR2yNHuE8HQmiOjP9e3o1qHyLQ5j_2Lr6xk0͠\v^hd ׉EUNIDOITPO AND UNE welcome UNE Executive Director 28 February 2018 Manama, Bahrain Erik Solheim, Executive Director of UNEnvironment, visited the ITPO Bahrain office where by he was received by ITPO staff and a number of Bahraini entrepreneurs. During which an exchange of letters was signed where by ITPOBahrain and UNEnvironment will work closely towardspromotingentrepreneurship, investment and innovation in green technology and renewable energy in line with the EDIP Program. The wider aim is to create awareness and develop a greener economy as well as identify investmentopportunities.UNEnvironme nt and ITPO Bahrain will also work closely with the government, privatesector andfinancial to help fund these greenprojects. the institutions 4 ׉ 7cassandra://m8gu3qykw0j17PhoVUbid1ozhSV6FGmn-g_o8pg9Hsk`̵\v^hd׉ECapacity Building Program: Incubation Management Systems 20 to 22 March 2018 Manama, Bahrain 35 participants attended a specialized capacity building program on “Incubation Management organised Systems”, by ITPO cooperation with the Ministry Bahrain in of Industry, Commerce, & Tourism, the Bahrain Development Bank and AICEI The program aimed at providing a clear understanding of business incubation concepts, including its challenges, benefits and potentials; providing guidance to Incubator Managers and key staff on its full range operational activities; Upgrading institutional and human capacity on the topics like entrepreneurship development, access to finance, marketing, business community planning, relations, quality management; Ways to design and implement effective services to in-wall incubated and entrepreneurs opportunities by and counselling; and Increasing systematic continuous monitoring evaluations of management incubated entrepreneurs. business the efficiency and effectiveness of the incubation and and and virtually incubated networking EDIP entrepreneur organizes community event 30 March 2018 Manama, Bahrain For the third “Bahrain for consecutive year, (BHR4ALL), an event meant all and all for Bahrain” to promote and celebrate diversity in Bahrain, kicked off successfully. The event hosted more than 50,000 persons and included performances by Bahraini artists and expatriate groups and communities. In addition to performances, food stalls and other stalls displaying, promoting and selling a wide range of products and services were available, many of which were sponsored by Tamkeen with the help of ITPO Bahrain, who helped identify and select a number of entrepreneurs as well as provide them with a stall, free of charge. 5 ׉ 7cassandra://1NvyeV16cs5suK8OROU0FVobGdqE4oZbL9dm8DcY3-s3`̵\v^hd\v^hd{בCט{u׉׉ 7cassandra://GPGWQRXPA30Y0-NV0e_u7VaMR-2oToZRi5Cmi9Cmtuw-^` ׉ 7cassandra://dmZ20A3RXUBeGPlylTfwb9OafsKljFLnxAqQJtOUfkIK`S׉ 7cassandra://6q-JH3JJKZxwX5YlWnU54ZS2P3SUuz5_JsP5P0j4xMI`̵׉ 7cassandra://FDzpgqM11NX5I-Ifbw8Ni9F4Vgh4VVIk8xN1YarMjoE͠\v^hdט{u׉׉ 7cassandra://Ud5qAFWsPT5qtG3k7nWzEz3AFz8ACwKPx_u8BenrJcs2` ׉ 7cassandra://ZsObLtuwcH7WQEqJbt7R4PcvfiS82ebHH8xkn6NJTwMFw`S׉ 7cassandra://WdTBbj3QumAVDYiXUiisxhFzGMStiErCKgJIEmEdHuU`̵׉ 7cassandra://fDxXhAPjllA7aAeDz52zVFSYwo25I5EZ3_rOI4BIVzo͠\v^hd׉EUnbound 2018: Supporting Start-ups 7 to 8 March 2018 ITPO hosts its 100th EDIP batch 4 to 22 February 2018 Manama, Bahrain Batch 100 was a diverse group of entrepreneurs, with varying backgrounds and aspirations. As per usual, the diversity allowed for discussions with interesting different perspectives. At the end of the program, the entrepreneurs who did not originally have clear business ideas were able to firm up their ideas, others recognized limitations and changed their business ideas to match more with their capabilities and some were inspired to dream bigger. EDIP’s 100 also incorporated a health and wellness session for the very first time, given by the Health and Wellness Promotion Expert, Dr. Amal al Jowder. FORSATI: Supporting women in the ICT sector ITPO Bahrain has strives to employability to joint hands with UNDP, Tamkeen and Microsoft in launching FORSATI strengthen and productivity in the IT initiative that youth enhance industry in Bahrain. FORSATI For Her, which promises empower 6 the Many national and foreign start-ups attended the event and set up stalls to promote their businesses and meet with potential investors. Unbound also included a number of workshops and inspirational speakers, including ITPO Bahrain’sAfifBarhoumi who joined a discussion on “Routes for Growth - Sourcing Capital”. Discussionsfocused on financing opportunities available to entrepreneurs locally as well as on the challenges commonly faced and ways to overcome them. ׉ 7cassandra://6q-JH3JJKZxwX5YlWnU54ZS2P3SUuz5_JsP5P0j4xMI`̵\v^hd׉Eemployability and productivity for Bahraini Women. Backed by the latest Microsoft programmes and aligned with industry requirements, the program will enable Bahraini Women to learn and apply new skills to compete in the global economy. The International Conference for Entrepreneurship and Innovation 18 to 19 March 2018 Under the patronage of HH Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa, Executive Director of the INJAZ Bahrain Foundation, ITPO Bahrain and the Kingdom University co-organized a forum to promote and encourage the adoption of the right management and policies needed for small and medium-sized enterprises to grow and succeed. Experts from within the kingdom and abroad, including China, Sudan, Egypt, Turkey, India, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, discussed topics related to the entrepreneurship ecosystem, entrepreneurship and the fourth industrial economic revolution, and infrastructure for entrepreneurship. The forum was opened by Prof. Cevahir Uzkurt, President of KOSGEB Turkey, Prof. Mohamed Jameel Tirro, President of the Kingdom University, and Hashim Hussein, Head of ITPO Bahrain. The forum highlighted the role of universities and schools of business in encouraging creativity and innovation while also touching importance upon the incubators. The event also demonstrated the Kingdom’s commitment to support and promote through partnerships entrepreneurship and collaboration, in line with Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030. 7 ׉ 7cassandra://WdTBbj3QumAVDYiXUiisxhFzGMStiErCKgJIEmEdHuU`̵\v^hd\v^hd{בCט{u׉׉ 7cassandra://9spFr1GLBuaNLhYhotfoZy6DEt-65RsX3AoWWTqdUUM` ׉ 7cassandra://rD7USlmZHIBmTwLm_qDW24ddcSK1o4iYXhPwEIUh_6kM`S׉ 7cassandra://j_9jyp5ZTW3SkfvIpSvgPi2WP41pECHtL4EGhhHPuJoi`̵׉ 7cassandra://qm9fgDr9GadrIqwuda4HM71E9rlpr9fe59BxHp1RKuM $͠\v^hdט{u׉׉ 7cassandra://R26Xq_5iEbCHH4AFf7Xt88_Bise2YIwGp0gByj6OiGw` ׉ 7cassandra://HYcy7Y5_wDtIrywppROeveB7v8-eEQSuSfotWKXsc6cPi`S׉ 7cassandra://xFTPpKcf1yCvh1Q6gO1Suqfn7qN1ZuDr_f4_Akg137k`̵׉ 7cassandra://milMabTpwy1eQKmj-Adz7E8ryXg-CQXj1L_Z3lpJdrw>͠\v^hdנ\v^hdA̚9׉H)http://www.repsfit.com/what-we-stand-for/Gׁ ׁ rנ\v^hd̒W9׉H)http://www.repsfit.com/what-we-stand-for/Gׁ ׁ r׉Ekhealth and wellness counsellor, with following discussions on the importance of health and the important role that sports and exercise plays, followed by short and simple exercises by one of REPS GYM yoga and fitness instructor, and finally, all attendees were provided a delicious healthy lunch. BTI 2018 Career Week: Encouraging the Youth to be Job Creators 20 to 22 March 2018 ITPO Bahrain took part Bahrain Training Health and Wellness Promotion: National Sports Day Activities 13 February 2018 Institute’s Participants in the 2018 Career Week, held under the patronage of Dr. Majid bin Ali Al Nuaimi, Minister of Education. included national and international students as well as 25 public and private sector companies. The exhibition was also accompanied workshops, lectures and competition. The Gateway to Success: Harshad Jani In line with the to Bahrain National Sports Day; ITPO Bahrain invited their employees and entrepreneurs spend a network of special sports day at REPS FITNESS STUDIOS, which is owned by one of the EDIP graduates. The day included a presentation by Amal Al Jowder ITPO 8 Harshad Jani, 53, is an Indian national who has been residing in Bahrain with his wife Ami H. Jani for over 34 years. In 2001, while still holding a full-time job, and necessary certificates after acquiring and all the permits, Harshad sold his property in India to by a series of ׉ 7cassandra://j_9jyp5ZTW3SkfvIpSvgPi2WP41pECHtL4EGhhHPuJoi`̵\v^hd׉EVraise enough start-up capital and started a wholesale business with his wife, distributing natural pearls to various retailers in Bahrain. By 2014, he was running an increasingly successful business so he decided to quit his job and focus on it full-time. In 2017, Harshad joined the (EDIP) program. Because he was considering expansion, he found the program to be a timely opportunity for him to update his knowledge on all business related matters. By the end of the program, he learned how to effectively integrate new and creative ideas into his to expand his market reach and how to take calculated risks in order to achieve the growth he was seeking. Additionally, he was able to meet other like-minded entrepreneurs and build strong business relationships. . Harshad’s 2017 Bab-al Bahrain project was initiated Culture, who were referred to him through UNIDO’s ITPO representatives who continue to support him to this day. This project (which took 6 months to complete) was inspired by the traditional Bahraini necklace “Martasha”. The decorative piece consists of 20 thousand gold plated coin strings suspended from a high ceiling, strategically located at the entrance of the Manama Souq in Bahrain’s (Bab-al Bahrain). The coin strings are 7 meters long and the whole piece weighs around2.5 tonnes in total, therefore careful installation was crucial to ensure safe completion as well as a safe display. 9 by the Ministry of The materials used in this project were brought in all the way from India (coins) and China (pearls). All materials were wisely selected to ensure durability. It was a largely secretive project so Harshad and his team worked on the installation on odd hours (9pm-4am) to maintain an element of surprise. According to Harshad, Meeting the deadline was the most challenging part of the project as hanging the coin strings so close to each other, at such a height, proved to be a time consuming and challenging process. This resulted in Harshad, his wife and a team of 35 workers, spending long hours manually hanging the coin strings one by one then adding a pearl to the end of each string. ׉ 7cassandra://xFTPpKcf1yCvh1Q6gO1Suqfn7qN1ZuDr_f4_Akg137k`̵\v^hd\v^hd{בCט{u׉׉ 7cassandra://ypCrnHhsb7VkcG8tdtYWNNcG7J5e3eQr-IAQehPw7f4` ׉ 7cassandra://MB2pREhibaNc2mClPARTdCeVKi0lnPNvnE5S0sbZaPITG`S׉ 7cassandra://atf5amazEDuX9OCQE-ESwohq0upWaG1azJM4DS8th8E`̵׉ 7cassandra://GcbJ_7NwJGrKoC73-M4xgMP9g3jOWBPZ3nvJEjE1Ing$͠\v^hdט{u׉׉ 7cassandra://63CFcjk8LTjz0UQp0kUCmV_zVrF1_HZyZEDI0kFW9vc` ׉ 7cassandra://CqOD31Hx7qlrYQ75XpphLBFljR2_GPwuogPtmWkv7p0`S׉ 7cassandra://j2fXfSgNLUJ20aYGMedLQmkYNmQbhUryjax3d1wl25U `̵׉ 7cassandra://E3TiYVQzRSsVeXArssEf2Oidlkj9fupbgzgqWY5Sor8O͠\v^hd׉EUpon completion, HE Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and Chairperson of the Board of the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH), made an unexpected visit commended accomplishment. Today, Harshad runs a profitable business highly (Bahar Jewellers Co.) where he designs and makes customized jewellery for customers all over the gulf. Harshad enjoys drawing designs and bringing them to life. He enjoys telling his customers how their jewellery is being made and involves them in every step of the process to ensure they are happy with their Many other officials joined to celebrate the new addition to Bab al Bahrain. Another pleasant surprise was the gentle ringing sound the hanging coin strings made when blown by wind, making it both visually and aurally appealing. finished piece. Customer satisfaction is very important to him as his current and main method of attracting new customers is word-of-mouth and referrals. “The key to success is finding a hobby and making it your job” According to Harshad, success is “Finding a the key to hobby making it your job”. He finds great joy in making jewellery worn on happy occasions as it makes him feel like a part of the celebration and community, which he says and Harshad to the site and for his The piece has been exhibited in Bab al Bahrain since Feb. 2017. he attributes much of his success to the Bahraini 10 ׉ 7cassandra://atf5amazEDuX9OCQE-ESwohq0upWaG1azJM4DS8th8E`̵\v^hd׉E4enabled him to form long-term relationships and a strong customer base. He adds that being chosen to complete this project, which is located in one of Bahrain’s most historic and cultural landmarks was both a privilege and an honour; he dedicates it to Bahrain, and its supportive and loving community. 11 ׉ 7cassandra://j2fXfSgNLUJ20aYGMedLQmkYNmQbhUryjax3d1wl25U `̵\v^hd\v^hd{,Newsletter Issue 2January - March 2018\{