Bahraini businesswoman Huda Janahi has collected her "Leader Entrepreneur" award from the United Nations Industrial Develo-pment Organisation (Unido).

Janahi, chief executive officer of Global Cargo Services, was presented with the award, the first of its kind in the world, by Unido director general Dr Kandeh Yumkella in an official ceremony at the organisation's headquarters, in Vienna, Austria.

The ceremony was held alongside the Expert Dialogue on Women Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Development: Experiences, Lessons Learned and The Way Forward.

Present at the ceremony were Rachel Mayanja, special adviser to the UN Secretary General on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women, senior officials and representatives of a number of international organisations.

Seventy specialists and international experts in the field of female economic empowerment from all over the world were also present.

The recognition of Janahi as a Leader Entrepreneur stems from her success in transforming herself from a housewife into a net worth of $15 million (BD5.6m) in just seven years.

She did so with the support of the Unido Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Bahrain.

She was congratulated by Housing Minister and former chairman of the Bahrain Development Bank (BDB) Shaikh Ibrahim bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, who met her at his office yesterday.

He praised her efforts in developing her own business with the support from the Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Programme, organised by Unido in co-operation with the Industry and Commerce Ministry and the BDB.

Shaikh Ibrahim described her as a role model for potential women entrepreneurs in Bahrain and the world.-TradeArabia News Service