HE Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, praised the positive initiatives taken by leading international companies to enhance economic activity and expand their circle of investment, in addition to diversifying the options for consumers from various global sources, highlighting the esteemed government's support for enhancing Bahrain's economic position and consolidating the Kingdom’s good reputation in this aspect.

This came during the official opening ceremony of Defacto at Seef Mall, where the Minister was welcomed by Nad founder and CEO Mr. Nabeel Dabwan and ‏Seef Properties Chief Executive Officer Ahmed Yusuf.

The Minister toured the first branch of DeFacto stores, which specializes in fashion, accessories, shoes and home clothes that suit everyone, and provides a modern and smart shopping experience in Bahrain.

Located on a total area of 1,500 square meters, DeFacto offers a wide range of men's, women's and children's fashion through sub-brands such as DeFacto Baby, Defacto Cool, Defacto Fit. It is the latest fashion store for Nad Group, which includes a wide range of restaurants and retail stores.

H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro Minister of Industry and Commerce and Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP, Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security, discussed bilateral investment cooperation and new opportunities to expand the existing partnership to serve mutual strategic and development visions.

The Minister of Industry and Commerce stressed that the United Kingdom is a major global investment partner, and that economic relations are witnessing steady growth towards achieving common strategic visions. He also pointed to the importance of the free trade agreement between the GCC countries and the United Kingdom, which will constitute an important and historic turning point in the well-established trade and investment relations between the two sides.

The meeting discussed a number of issues of common interest, and reviewed ways to support the development and increase the volume of bilateral investments. HE the Minister affirmed the keenness of the Kingdom of Bahrain to enhance aspects of bilateral cooperation with the United Kingdom in all fields, especially economy. He also pointed to the vital role that the private sector can play in both countries, which can contribute significantly to achieving common goals.

H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro Minister of Industry and Commerce received at his office this morning Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Kingdom of Bahrain Reham Abdulhamid Mahmoud.

The Minister welcomed the Egyptian ambassador and affirmed the keenness to strengthen the course of relations and distinguished partnership with the Arab Republic of Egypt to serve common interests, noting the need to advance cooperation in various fields, especially those related to the development of the industrial, commercial and economic sectors.

His Excellency Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, met with the sixth batch of the national leadership program "HIPO-YOUTH", organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs in coordination with the Institute of Public Administration, in the presence of Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Duaij Al Khalifa, and Ms. Eman Ahmed Al Doseri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

The Minister welcomed the program's members, noting the impact of "Hibo Youth" in enriching the experience of Bahraini youth, enabling them to learn about administrative aspects in various sectors, and providing them with science and knowledge, which contributes to refining their skills and enhancing their competitiveness.

His Excellency also discussed his own experience in the administrative and leadership field, reviewing the most prominent leadership practices and successes, especially in the field of government work.

For her part, H.E. Dr. Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Duaij Al Khalifa, Director General of the Institute of Public Administration, explained that the outstanding national outputs of “Hipo Youth” over the past years reflect the importance of training programs in developing leadership skills, which contributes to accelerating the pace of development in the Kingdom, affirming the constant support  the Institute of Public Administration to plans and programs that support young people and providing the appropriate environment to hone their skills and emerge with outputs that enhancing their active participation in various sectors.

Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha Rana Al Khalifa praised the keenness of the Minister of Industry and Commerce to transfer his administrative and leadership experience, thus widening horizons for young people by employing successful administrative experiences and practices to come up with new and innovative initiatives and projects that serve the requirements of the current stage and future ambitions.

"Hipo Youth" is an advanced youth leadership program that aims to refine the capabilities of Bahraini youth to achieve the Kingdom of Bahrain’s ambitions and aspirations, through a strategic partnership between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and the Institute of Public Administration. The program targets ambitious accomplished young people between the ages of 18 to 27 years old.

Her Excellency Ms. Eman Ahmed Al Doseri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, stressed that investing in the development and refinement of the human element is a key pillar in the sustainability of economic development, and that investing in Bahraini youth is an important step towards digital transformation and promoting a sustainable competitive economy, noting in this regard the importance of continuing to adopt qualitative programs that consolidate the position of the Kingdom of Bahrain as a regional platform for technology in the Middle East, by providing the appropriate economic environment for creativity and attracting large and emerging companies.

This came during the closing ceremony of the " e-Commerce Champions " program in its fourth edition, which was held in the presence of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and Mr. Ahmed Buhazza, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, and a number of officials and participants, at the headquarters of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Undersecretary toured the exhibition on the sidelines of the program and hailed the innovative projects designed by participating youth with the follow up of specialists and experts in this field, Al Doseri praised the program and the team that embraced such ambitious young potential, to help invest their ideas and energies and achieve their ambitions in sustainable entrepreneurship.

For his part, Mr. Ahmed Buhazza, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, praised the role of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in supporting the e-Commerce Champions Program, noting that the selected nominees showed exceptional innovative skills, and achieved distinguished achievements in various local competitions and programs, highlighting the participants’ great efforts during the past weeks in the Program, to provide young people with the necessary skills to keep up with the rapid economic changes, especially in the fields of e-Commerce, artificial intelligence and fintech, which were the focus of events and workshops.

The program, which has been successful during its past editions, aims to provide Bahraini university students with the tools and skills required by a group of specialists in the field of technology and artificial intelligence to embark through the journey of entrepreneurship after graduating from university.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce launched its back-to-school awareness and inspection campaign for the commercial sector and consumers, citizens and residents in the Kingdom of Bahrain, under the title "we’re here for back-to-school season”.

The campaign aims to create a consumer environment based on trust, transparency and sustainability and to enhance the principles of consumer protection in the local markets of the Kingdom of Bahrain and raise the level of public awareness of the rights and duties of the commercial sector and the consumer.

The Ministry highlighted the campaign’s goal to impose control over markets and shops to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, and to ensure authenticity of promotions and discounts, and proper controls for price display, to enhance transparency and ease of the shopping process. The campaign also contributes to addressing any misleading commercial practices and commercial fraud, by intensifying inspection tours by the Ministry's Inspection Directorate on shops and markets concerned with everything related to the back-to-school season, to guarantee conformity and ensure the availability and variety of goods, indicating that in case any violations are detected, legal measures will be taken to ensure market safety and reliability.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce invites all consumers, citizens and residents in the Kingdom of Bahrain, to learn more about the awareness campaign " we’re here for back-to-school season " on the ministry’s official communication platforms, and follow the guidelines and directives on the correct practices of sustainable shopping in local markets.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce stressed the importance of the commercial sector’s commitment to the regulations and laws in force, and their cooperation with the inspection teams, to contribute to the success of this season.

H.E. Ms. Eman Ahmed Al Doseri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, meets with Elizabeth Hattingh, Acting Deputy Chief of US Mission to Bahrain, where they reviewed the positive developments of bilateral relations between the two countries.

The Undersecretary stressed the importance of joint relations, especially in the field of trade, which continues to prosper through joint agreements and mutual visits, in addition to various cooperation and trade exchange programs. Highlighting the vital role that the private sector can play in both countries by benefiting from the advantages and benefits available through bilateral agreements, which reflect positively on increasing the volume of trade exchange.

The eCommerce Champions Program Orientation workshops, launched by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in cooperation with Export Bahrain and the Bahrain Institute for Banking and Financial Studies (BIBF), came to a conclusion. Attended by a number of companies and commercial institutions and with the participation of a group of mentoring companies, including Lalabella Events, The Gentleman Club Bahrain Garments, and Nafnoofi Online Trading. In addition to the participation of a number of e-commerce service providers, namely NBB, Aramex Bahrain, and Line Impact Bahrain Online Operation.

In this context, the Ministry stressed the fruitful cooperation by Export Bahrain and the (BIBF), and their efforts to lead mentoring companies in transferring their experiences to participating companies, positively contributing to the success of the second edition of the eCommerce Champions Program.

The Ministry elaborated that the companies and institutions qualified from this program will be selected based on the digital transformation plan that will be presented and will be awarded the title of eCommerce Champions Program.

The leading mentors touched on the importance of digital transformation for companies and commercial institutions, success stories, and how to achieve customer satisfaction through the online shopping experience, where a set of important axes related to e-marketing strategies were presented, and the importance of data analysis and how to create an effective online store that includes an e-payment service, and a clear presentation of policies and delivery services.

E-commerce support service providers also focused in their presentations on developing digital business management through digital marketing tools, search engine optimization, logistical and delivery advice, and how to employ digital commerce solutions and benefit from Export Bahrain services to enable companies to export outside the Kingdom of Bahrain through eCommerce.

The workshops focused on the experiences of leading mentors and e-commerce support service provider companies in overcoming challenges, achieving success and transferring experiences to participants.