H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, praised the efforts of businessmen and investors in the restaurant sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain as they continue to expand business networks and open new branches, which contributes to the development of various commercial and service facilities that add distinct options to the public.

This came during the launch of several prominent fine dining restaurants, all part of the Armada Group, namely "Bait Al Jeder, Sisler and De Linos" at Bahrain City Center. In the presence of Armada Board members and a number of officials and stakeholders.

The Minister praised the restaurant’s range and services and hailed the efforts of the private sector and its continuous initiatives in strengthening the national economy, and offer new and diverse options to the public.

The restaurants "Bait Al Jeder, Sisler and De Linos" offer a multi-cuisine experience that combines Gulf, Arab and international cuisines, and is a subsidiary of Armada Group, which owns a variety of international shops in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the GCC.

H.E. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, honored the Information Systems Directorate team on the occasion of the outstanding results achieved by the Kingdom of Bahrain in the United Nations e-Government Report, which reflects the great efforts made by Bahrain’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce team and the Information and eGovernment Authority.

The Minister appreciated the key role of the Ministerial Committee for Information and Communications Technology, headed by General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Interior Minister, and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Information and Communication Technology. which contributed to achieving these distinguished results, as the Kingdom of Bahrain ranked 18th globally, advancing 36 ranks, and achieving the highest historical index.  His Excellency praised this international achievement, which highlights the efforts of the Government of Bahrain, and reflects the concerted efforts of government entities to achieve the best positions in the UN e-Government Report in line with Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 As part of the Government Program (2023-2026), which focuses on enhancing strategic planning and digital transformation by supporting efforts to digitize government services and transactions.

Moreover, His Excellency affirmed that the Ministry will continue efforts to score further achievements, and raise Bahrain’s position in global indicators, by adopting the latest digital solutions and emerging technologies to develop e-government services.

H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro Minister of Industry and Commerce stressed the depth of the historical economic relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of India.

This came during a meeting between His Excellency the Minister and Mr. Vinod Kurian Jacob, Ambassador of India to Bahrain, where they discussed the positive initial results of the official participation in the Partnership Summit 2024 held in New Delhi, as well as a number of topics of common interest, hoping that such participations will contribute to supporting the achievement of ambitious economic cooperation visions between the two friendly countries.

For his part, the Ambassador hailed Bahrain’s efforts to consolidate joint relations and achieve mutual goals and aspirations.

In implementation of Resolution No. (43) of 2024, regarding payments related to commercial transactions of commercial establishments, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced that the first phase of the resolution goes into effect starting From, Friday, December 13, 2024, and it includes new commercial establishments.

The decision obliges all commercial establishments wishing to issue new commercial records to open a unified business bank account under the name of the establishment to conduct all financial transactions, while providing e-payment services through "BenefitPay", point of sale (POS) devices, or e-portals.

In this regard, HE         Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, affirmed that the decision aims to enhance transparency and efficiency in the financial and commercial system in the Kingdom, as it aspires to improve the financial management of enterprises, and expand business opportunities by adopting advanced digital payment solutions. Calling on all new commercial establishments to comply with this decision, which will further facilitate financial procedures and enhance the business environment and ensure the sustainability of its growth. 

In its first phase, the decision applies to new commercial establishments only, existing establishments must start regularizing their status within the next six months, before June 13, 2025, where the Resolution will be take effect for all commercial establishments, whether new or existing.

For more information about Ministerial Resolution No. (43) of 2024 and its mechanism, contact the Ministry's team through website: https://www.sijilat.bh  

Or call center on toll-free number: 8000800.

H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, awarded 30 factories the "Green Factory Seal", as part of Bahrain’s efforts to promote advanced and sustainable industry to achieve the vision of the Industrial Sector Strategy (2022-2026), in an aim to spread the culture of sustainability and apply the concepts of circular carbon economy in addition to environmental and social governance.

In this regard, HE the Minister of Industry and Commerce affirmed that granting the "Green Factory Seal" represents an important stage in the Kingdom of Bahrain's journey towards achieving industrial sustainability, noting that the leading factories joining this initiative represent a role model in adhering to international environmental standards.

His Excellency added that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce is committed to providing the necessary support to factories and backing their efforts to implement environmental governance policies, by providing incentives that contribute to enhancing their competitiveness locally and regionally, calling on all industrial establishments to join this initiative to achieve national goals related to environmental and economic sustainability.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce launched the Green Factory Seal in support of the Kingdom of Bahrain's directions in achieving sustainability at various levels and in line with the Bahrain Blueprint National Action Plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2060, in conjunction with the Kingdom's participation in the work of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 28, which was held late last year in the United Arab Emirates. As the "Green Factory Seal" aims to support the Kingdom of Bahrain's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, and encourage the industrial sector to adopt solar energy solutions, and spread the culture of sustainability and green production, as well as applying the concepts of circular carbon economy and environmental and social governance, and achieve sustainable development goals related to responsible production, and motivate factories to adopt the best technologies and systems that contribute to reducing their carbon footprint.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce indicated that the (Green Factory Seal) is granted to factories that achieve one of the standards based on the most prominent regional and global practices in the field of sustainable manufacturing, for factories that reuse 10% of their industrial waste in their production processes, or use 10% of renewable energy to operate their industrial facility, or implement environmental and social governance policies, or have systems to monitor air and environmental pollutant emissions, or a system for calculating greenhouse gases, or if they own a carbon capture unit.

Noting that as part of the partnership with the private sector, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce cooperated with a number of institutions to provide incentives and benefits to factories holding the Seal, enabling them to achieve sustainability and easing their access to financing, or facilitate their exports. In addition to building the capacity of individuals and establishments in the field of environmental and social governance and providing special prices by operators and manufacturers of alternative energy solutions, in cooperation with NBB, Export Bahrain, BIBF, and Solar One Factory.

HE Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro Minister of Industry and Commerce met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia, HE Margus Tsahkna, and his accompanying delegation on the sidelines of the 20th edition of  "IISS Manama Dialogue 2024", held the Kingdom of Bahrain from 6 to 8 December. 

Minister Fakhro welcomed the Estonian Minister and stressed the importance of enhancing and expanding aspects cooperation, especially in the industrial and commercial sectors. affirming the keenness to develop relations in various fields and strengthen joint coordination frameworks to achieve mutual goals.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce succeeded in passing the external audit of the ISO certificate in total quality management system according to international standards (ISO 9001:2015), after achieving all certificate requirements. The results of the external audit matched the specified frameworks for this entitlement, reflecting the ministry's commitment to the requirements and quality standards according to international specifications.

On this occasion, H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, stressed that this achievement is a result of tireless efforts to upgrade and activate the systems to develop various aspects of work, noting that the Ministry was able to maintain its distinguished balance in the sustainability of the application of the quality management system continuously as one of the leading government entities in applying the ISO 9001 quality management system, as the Ministry was granted its first certificate in 2002, and continued to  pass the audit process every year. The Ministry is also keen to keep up with standard updates to apply them practically.

His Excellency explained that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce intensified efforts in applying best practices in effective planning to achieve annual performance level goals, constantly searching for opportunities for improvement to ensure the efficiency of service provision, and finding the best integration and coordination between departments to link operations properly, with the development of a mechanism to control potential risks, as well as effective documentation and internal audit to correct errors and prevent their recurrence.

Notably the Ministry of Industry and Commerce is one of the first ministries to obtain the Business Continuity Certificate ISO22301 2019 in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Which reflects the Ministry's commitment to achieving high efficiency service. As well as working to apply risk management to achieve objectives and ensure the continuity of work, by setting control factors for potential risks to operations and activities, and focusing on customers and concerned parties by understanding their needs and expectations.

On the occasion of the Kingdom of Bahrain's celebration of its national holidays in commemoration of the establishment of modern Bahrain during the era of founder Ahmed Al-Fateh as an Arab Muslim Country in 1783, and the anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced the launch of the national initiative to encourage the commercial sector in its third edition with the celebrations of Bahrain holiday season.

In this regard, HE Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, noted that the initiative aims to exempt the commercial sector from promotional campaign fees and extend the periods of commercial discounts in local markets and commercial complexes in the Kingdom of Bahrain, pointing out that the initiative contributed and played a vital role in enhancing commercial movement and serving the national economy in the Kingdom.

His Excellency also affirmed the continuous efforts to cooperate with the commercial sector to make local markets a competitive destination for consumers, praising the remarkable efforts of the commercial sector in upgrading experiences in the field of marketing campaigns and consumer protection in Bahrain’s holiday season  in particular, in order to upgrade local markets and commercial complexes and make them more qualified and attractive to citizens, expats and tourists.