Bahrain's labour fund Tamkeen said around 90 per cent of the Bahrain-based enterprises exhibiting at the Gulf Industry Fair 2013, the leading business-to-business (B2B) event in the Northern Gulf, have been supported by its “Tarweej” scheme.

The Gulf Industry Fair is being held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

For the fourth consecutive year, Tamkeen’s support is enabling enterprises in Bahrain to showcase their industrial products and services, network, build customer relations, and find out the latest trends at this event which caters to the Bahrain, Saudi Arabian Eastern Province, and the northern Gulf markets.

The contribution, this year from Tamkeen has risen to over BD229,000 ($596,183) from nearly BD17,000 in 2010.

Tamkeen’s chief executive Mahmood Hashim Al-Kooheji said, “Through its schemes, Tamkeen is enabling enterprises in Bahrain to expand and be more sustainable. Enabling them to participate in exhibitions and trade fairs in Bahrain and abroad is an important channel to achieve this objective.”

Tarweej, he said, was one of the main schemes under Tamkeen’s flagship Enterprise Development Support Programme.

"The number of enterprises who benefited from the “Tarweej” scheme at Gulf Industry Fair has risen sharply over the years. In 2010, Tamkeen started with supporting 12 enterprises, and in 2011, the total increased to 15 enterprises," he stated.

"The following year, the total jumped by 147 per cent with 37 enterprises, and a further 54 per cent in 2013 with 57 enterprises. The amount contributed by Tamkeen increased from nearly BD17,000 in 2010 to over BD229,000 in 2013 over that span," he added.-TradeArabia News Service