H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, stressed the importance of strengthening partnerships between various countries of the world and keeping pace with developments in order advance the development sectors in a way that supports financial sustainability and economic stability, and contributes to the comprehensive development and economic cooperation between world countries.

This came as H.E. the Minister headed the delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain participating in the work of the 28^th "Partnership Summit 2023" organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), under the slogan "Partnerships for responsible, expedited, innovative, sustainable and equitable businesses" from 13 to 15 March 2023 at the Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi, with the participation of a number of companies, businessmen and international and government bodies from around the world.

During the opening session of the summit, the Minister affirmed Bahrain's keenness to participate in such events that discuss and share the most important global developments to support the shift towards a new and sustainable economy, praising India's distinguished historical economic civilization, and hoping that the summit will achieve its ambitious goals that seek to strengthen companies and form new global economic alliances. 

The summit includes many discussion sessions, including: The Future of Work: Building a Resilient and Sustainable Workforce, Standardizing Skills: A Key Enabler for Talent Mobility, Sustainable Finance, The G20 and the State of the World, Supply Chain Resilience Against Geopolitical Turbulence, Financing Growth in Emerging Markets.

On the sidelines of the launch of the first Business Leaders Conference " Connect 2 Innovate", H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, met with Startup Nation Central CEO, Mr. Avi Hassoun, in the presence of a number of representatives of the Israeli private sector.​

The meeting discussed ways to enhance and develop joint economic relations, as H.E. the Minister valued efforts and endeavors to develop economic relations and share experiences to enhance cooperation and joint work between Bahrain and Israel, stressing the importance of joint meetings and mutual visits between officials in both countries, to enhance bilateral economic and trade relations.

The first Business Leaders Conference "Connect 2 Innovate" kicked off this evening, Monday, March 13, 2023, until March 15 in Manama, organized by Start-Up Nation Central, a non-profit organization that connects governments, companies and investors to the Israeli innovation ecosystem, in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the EDB, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Israel, at the Wyndham Grand Hotel – Bahrain Bay.

The conference included a recorded speech by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, where he welcomed the guests of the first conference of business leaders " Connect 2 Innovate" and referred to his official visit last December and his meeting with HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. The president praised the culture of peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance in Bahrain and praised the initiative to host the first conference that gathers both nations, providing an opportunity for entrepreneurs and companies to communicate and share expertise, to build a foundation for a prosperous future of cooperation and economic relations between the two countries, to achieve common goals and interests, expressing his thanks to H.E. the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, the EDB and STARTUP NATION CENTRAL for this wonderful initiative, wishing them all success and prosperity.

For his part, H.E. the Minister of Industry and Commerce Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro delivered a speech in which he stressed that Bahrain today represents a prominent investment center, while Israel is a famous center for research and development of modern technology. By combining both our strengths, we have the ability to transform the region and work together to meet today's challenges and build a bright future for all.

H.E added that this event affirms the growing partnership between Bahrain and Israel, noting that it will address challenges facing financial technology, manufacture, logistics, water, energy, and climate sectors and identify new growth opportunities. In addition to sharing experiences and best practices to find innovative solutions for technological ecosystem development and human capital investment.

Moreover, H.E. continued that the Kingdom of Bahrain is an attractive destination for startups in the field of innovation and technology through its youth, ambitious workforce with high scientific qualifications and thriving ecosystem. Bahrain's advanced digital infrastructure, and the adoption of cloud computing, contributed to attracting global partnerships and leaders, and the Kingdom's commitment to innovation, digital economy, forward-thinking, and attractive regulations made the Kingdom an innovation hub.

"The relationship between Israel and Start-Up Nation Central and the Kingdom of Bahrain is true and honest, created by the desire to deepen the fruitful cooperation between both countries. I am proud to say that approximately three years after signing of the Abraham Accords, the collaborations, in all fields, are expanding and we always strive to grow them even more. I am confident that the technological tools and products developed by the Israeli startup companies will bring great benefit to the Bahraini economy and vice versa", said H.E. Khalid Yusuf Ahmed Al Jalahma, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to Israel.

For his part, Avi Hasson, CEO of Start-Up Nation Central said “As our region moves from being a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based one, Israel and Bahrain are prime to work together toward achieving this vision. Together, we will blaze a new path forward and this conference is just the beginning as long-lasting relationships form solutions to common challenges are identified," Hasson added, “We thank our colleagues in Bahrain for their partnership and pride ourselves to be part of Team Bahrain from now on".

“Connect 2 Innovate" is the first conference of its kind, and it gathers government officials, large corporations, international organizations, business communities and technology innovators to focus on challenges in fintech, logistics, supply change, water, energy and climate.

The conference will include workshops on building the technological ecosystem and developing human capital, enabling the two countries to exchange knowledge and best practices, through the participation of a delegation of more than 50 government officials, businessmen and investors in Israel. The 2^nd and 3^rd days of the conference will include professional workshops, lectures, panel discussions, presentation sessions and discussions on the future of banking and financial technology, water security and smart energy, startup ecosystem development, human capital challenges, and the establishment of a sustainable sea-air corridor.

Keynote speakers at the conference included H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, EDB CEO Mr. Khalid Ibrahim Humaidan, the Ambassador of the State of Israel to the Kingdom of Bahrain Eitan Na'eh, and Start-Up Nation Central CEO Mr. Avi Hasson.​

H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro Minister of Industry and Commerce participated in the celebration of the BKS-GOLDEN CLUB Award, organized by Keraleeya Samajam Club as part Bahrain and India's celebration of the (Golden Jubilee) of the diplomatic relations' establishment, in conjunction with India's 75^th Independence Day and Keraleeya Samajam's 75th anniversary.

the Minister praised the initiatives presented by business leaders to develop the national economy, affirming the government's commitment to providing more facilities that contribute to the development of the commercial street and attract more investments to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

During the celebration, a number of Indian and Bahraini business leaders were honored for their outstanding leadership and contributions to increasing the economic and cultural rapprochement between Bahrain and India.​

The Consumer Protection Directorate at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce celebrated “Gulf Consumer Protection Week", which falls annually on the second week of March. On this occasion, H.E.A Sh. Hamad bin Salman Al Khalifa, Assistant Undersecretary for Domestic and Foreign Trade, noted that the Consumer Protection Directorate at the Ministry is keen to celebrate this occasion with its GCC counterparts to emphasize the importance of preserving consumer rights in local markets, preventing unfair commercial practices and spreading awareness of smart and sustainable consumption to achieve social justice and create a safe and attractive shopping environment in Bahrain.

The Assistant Undersecretary indicated that this year, a set of activities and events were launched for different age groups, including an innovative awareness bus allocated in cooperation with the Capital Municipality at the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, to be visited by public school students to identify the role of the Consumer Protection Directorate and raise awareness of smart and sustainable consumption methods, and daily saving principles.

Sh. Hamad bin Salman Al Khalifa added that HE Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce honored a group of commercial establishments that cooperated with the Consumer Protection Directorate to protect consumer rights during 2022, those include Lulu Hypermarket Bahrain, Talabat, Extra, AJM Kooheji Group, Yousif Khalil Almoayyed, Al-Rashed Group, JustClean, Yousif Bin Yousif Fakhro, Ebrahim K Kanoo B.S.C (c) (Toyota), Awal Al Gulf.

A second group of commercial establishments were honored for their quick response and continuous cooperation in providing the Consumer Protection Directorate with consumer data, namely Carrefour, Al Montazah, Lulu Hypermarket Bahrain, Al Helli Supermarket, Ramez, Alosra, Al Jazeera, Megamart and Babasons and Aswaq Al Awafi. Moreover, a service level agreement was signed between the Consumer Protection Directorate represented by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Ms.  Eman Ahmed Al-Doseri and a number of commercial sector representatives, to organize and speed up resolving and addressing consumer complaints.

Sh. Hamad bin Salman Al Khalifa, Assistant Undersecretary for Local and Foreign Trade, also noted that the Consumer Protection Directorate receives all consumer complaints around the clock, through various official channels, such as Tawasul, hotline, e-mail, social media or personal attendance. Expressing his appreciation to all government and commercial

H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, congratulated all national and Gulf consumer protection employees on the occasion of the GCC Consumer Protection Week, which falls annually on the second week of March and coincides with the World Consumer Rights Protection Day.

HE the Minister took the chance to congratulate all shops and partners awarded and honored during the celebration for their cooperation in resolving and addressing consumer complaints, in addition to continuously providing consumer data. Wishing to strengthen institutional and community partnerships to combat unfair commercial practices and achieve social justice and create a safe and attractive shopping environment for consumers in Bahrain. 

HE Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, praised the contributions and partnership between the public and private sectors, in terms of implementing economic and commercial projects, noting the role of national companies in supporting economic development and promoting Bahrain as an incubator for major investment companies and projects in the region.

This came during a meeting that gathered the Minister of Industry and Commerce, with Naseej CEO Mr. Amin AlArrayed, in the presence of Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Ms. Eman Al Doseri, where they reviewed the developments of the investment sector in general and real estate, affirming the government's continuous support for this sector.

For his part, Al-Arrayed stressed the company's keenness to explore new opportunities with the government and build on the gains of the public and private sector's partnership, implementing the company's vision to build integrated urban communities for future generations.

H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, received in his office this morning Mr. Tareq Fakhro, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bahrain Technology Companies Society (B-TEC), who presented the members of the Board of Directors of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), on the occasion of their meetings in Bahrain from 8 to 9 March, where a number of topics related to the information technology and information services sector in Bahrain were reviewed.

The Minister praised the pivotal role "B-TEC" plays in providing innovative solutions that contribute to facilitating services and providing the appropriate environment for tech companies in Bahrain to access global markets, stressing the government's interest in the ICT sector, which has become one of the pillars of the national economy as it promotes commercial growth and e-commerce and stimulates investment in Bahrain.

For his part, "B-TEC" Chairman Tariq Fakhro stressed the importance of cooperation between the association and various government entities for the benefit of Bahrain's economy, expressing his thanks and appreciation for the Ministry's support to this vital sector.​