The Minister of Industry, Commerce & Tourism Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani received Head Al Ghad Group Mr. Hamid Fakhro accompanied by a number of group members, who are seeking to run BCCI elections for 2018.

During the meeting, the minister praised the role of BCCI in enhancing business activity and economic growth in the Kingdom of Bahrain. He also praised the efforts of all institutions working in investment field in and their active role in the economic growth of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The minister wished Al Ghad Group success in their elections, and he appreciates their efforts to serve Bahrain and its economy.

The Directorate of Standardization & Metrology of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, hosted the 2nd Gulf Working Group meeting for Air conditions – large capacity, with the participation of representatives from Electricity and Water Authority and specialists from GCC Standardization Organization. 

On this occasion, the Director of Standardization & Metrology Ms. Mona Alalawi said that the directorate through its participation in the GCC National Committees is studying the standards and technical regulations projects related to energy efficiency. It also works closely with Electricity and Water Conservation Directorate the main partner in the national programs applied in the field of energy efficiency.

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism has launched registration process for factories according to the requirements of Law No. 81 of 2006, approving the Law of the unified industrial regulation for the GCC. Each industrial plant will have to register its plant within 60 days of its actual production, and the ministry will issue the registration certificate in the industrial register valid for one year and will be renewed annually.

The ministry stresses each plant to keep the certificate and submit it at each request and when dealing with the ministries and institutions of the Kingdom of Bahrain and GCC in all matters related to the plant transactions, noting that all factories are listed in the database of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism.

​The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Mr. Zayed R.  Alzayani received Mr. Rasm Rezaaef, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom of Bahrain resident in Riyadh.

During the meeting, they reviewed the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Azerbaijan and ways to enhance and develop these relations to achieve the common objectives of the two countries.

The minister also reviewed the investment potential of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the great facilities provided by the government to investors from all over the world, which makes it a preferred destination for many international projects.

The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani received newly-appointed Sudanese Ambassador to Bahrain Ibrahim Mohammed Al Hassan.

The two sides reviewed the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Sudan and ways to enhance cooperation in all fields, especially in industrial, commercial, tourism and investment fields.

The minister wished the new ambassador success in her diplomatic mission, pointing to the role that could be played by the private sector in both countries, which can significantly contribute to achieve common goals.

The Minister of Industry, Commerce & Tourism Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani met the Tunisian Ambassador to Bahrain Mohammed bin Yousif.

The minister confirmed the deep relation between Bahrain and Tunisia, noting to the continuous efforts of the two governments to enhance economic relation in various fields.  He also highlighted the importance of mutual visits between officials in both countries to achieve the common goals.

The Minister reviewed the economic reality of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the initiatives undertaken by the government to create the infrastructure, settle investments and attract projects from the region and the world.

The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani inaugurated the 2nd edition of eCommerce and Internet Security Forum for teachers
under title of “eCommerce…Bahraini Platform...For Global Market” in cooperation with the Bahrain Regional Centre for Information and Communication Technology (RCICT) and with the support of Bin Hindi Informatics and iMachines.

During the opening ceremony, the minister delivered a speech pointing out the importance cooperation with government and private bodies in spreading awareness on ecommerce and identifying the best secure solutions available on the internet.
He confirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain has achieved an advanced position in information and communication technology field, which ranked the first in the Middle East and North Africa in terms of the spread of Information and communication technology at the level of individual use, according to the World Information Technology Report of the World Economic Forum 2016. The e-commerce sector in the GCC is expected to grow to US$ 20 billion by 2020, according to the latest market estimates issued by AT Kearney Management Consulting.

The forum includes two workshops, the first training workshop led by the Director of Technology Solutions at Microsoft Gulf and Oman Mr. Gamal Magdy, under the theme of "Technology Solutions in the field of e-commerce and Internet security"

The second training workshop is about “"Secure shopping techniques and the best means of protection on Android devices" and presented by Head of Enterprise, Mobile Business at Samsung Gulf Electronics.  Mr. Mohammed Zuhair Gharaibeh.

​Under the patronage of the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Bahrain's 6th Annual SMEs Day Conference & Exhibition was launched under the theme of "Technology Transfer in the Leadership and Development of Small and Medium Enterprises". The forum is organized by Bahrain SMEs, in cooperation with Golden Trust, EDB, Tamkeen, BDB, BCCI and other related parties at the Wyndham Grand Hotel in Bahrain Bay, Kingdom of Bahrain.

During the opening ceremony, a recorded speech of HE the minister of Industry, Commerce & Tourism was presented emphasizing the importance of the SMEs sector in the economy of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Recently the Government of Bahrain has focused on this vital sector and supported it. This year Business Incubators and Accelerator was launched, since its establishment, 16 companied have been launched with a capacity of 1000 companies and 148 active incubated start-ups.

The minister referred to the official visit by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister to the USA, the Ministry of Industry of Commerce & Tourims signed a cooperation agreement with Small Business Administration. He added Cabinet decision to allocate 20% of the value of government procurements and tenders for small and medium enterprises. This shows government's interest in this vital sector.

The conference will also include the launch of a Bahraini research initiative by academics and researchers to provide an interactive platform that brings together experienced researchers to support the research needs of the business sector in Bahrain and to ensure that it continues to keep pace with Bahrain's transformation towards a knowledge economy.