For the past four years, the Center for International Private Enterprise has been working in partnership with the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs to assist local partners in Bahrain with fostering a new spirit of entrepreneurship. The program approached this issue from two tracks: the first educated young aspiring entrepreneurs on the leadership and business skills needed for a successful initiative, and the second worked with the private sector and government entities to examine the environment for entrepreneurship and suggest necessary changes to legislation and regulations to make it easier to start and grow a business in Bahrain. As the program comes to a close, there are many outcomes to be celebrated that will likely impact Bahrain’s business environment for years to come.
On March 17 at the Sheraton Hotel in Manama, CIPE honored 154 graduates of its entrepreneurship and leadership courses as well as participating universities including Ahliya University, Applied Science University, Arab Open University, the Royal University for Women, and the University College of Bahrain. The courses were conducted by business professors from participating universities who successfully completed a train-the-trainer course organized by CIPE’s local partner Seed Training Center. The course was based on a CIPE entrepreneurship and leadership curriculum developed in partnership with the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan.
During the workshops, the students developed business plans ranging from the entertainment sector (i.e. home theater rental) to broader information technology solutions. The March 17 event also recognized entrepreneurship initiatives such as the Bahrain Development Bank (BDB), EBDA Bank, Tamkeen, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for their support of new business initiatives.
While the future of these students remains bright and shows promise that their generation will help Bahrain to diversify its economy, the impact of the program has had a far greater reach than CIPE could have ever envisioned. At their own initiative, and in consultation with CIPE staff, Ahlia University Professors Lameea Al Tahoo and Anji Ben Hamed proposed and received approval from the University Administration to launch an Entrepreneurship Center within the university’s business school that would utilize curriculum developed in CIPE’s program, offer regular discussion groups with key domestic and international speakers, and involve additional resources that would encourage students to start their own businesses upon graduation.
The concept of a Center at Ahlia University has spread among other CIPE partners as well, with the Applied Science University brainstorming on ways to improve the entrepreneurial education of their students and the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) working to secure closer partnerships with the major universities in Bahrain and serve as a resource in entrepreneurial education.
CIPE’s Private Sector Working Group, a group consisting of micro, small, medium and large enterprise owners, and representatives of Bahrain’s Economic Development Board, Bahrain Development Bank, and Tamkeen, as well as staff from the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also researched and drafted three key policy papers on business registration, access to credit, and export promotion with the goal of identifying key reforms that the government could undertake in order to improve the climate for entrepreneurial initiatives.
The draft papers were completed in mid-March. BCCI’s sector and legal specialists will vet the recommendations and present them to the relevant government ministries in the months to come. However the process of including diverse voices from the private sector to work in partnership with the government on improving the business environment will have a lasting impact not only on Bahrain’s economy, but also on its governance practices.
Bahrain’s private sector is well positioned to coalesce on pro-business reforms and advocate policies that encourage employment, open trade, and stimulate overall economic growth. Their expertise is vital to the policymakers who must ensure that laws reflect the broad needs of a diverse population and allow the freedom to prosper. In addition, the experience they’ve had in business is essential to pass along to a new generation of entrepreneurs in Bahrain. Bahrainis are a hard-working people, rich with a spirit of ingenuity, who will lead their country to a very bright future. CIPE has been privileged to work with partners from the private sector, academia, government and banking sector over the years and looks forward to continued assistance through various programming opportunities.
Barbara Broomell is a Program Officer for the Middle East & North Africa at CIPE.
