Tamkeen will highlight the initiatives, achievements and economic objectives that Bahraini women realised in 2013, as almost half of the beneficiaries from its support programmes are women.

As part of its commitment to support the private sector in the kingdom and provide women with opportunities to find jobs or start their own businesses, Tamkeen today marks Bahraini Women's Day, which is celebrated on December 1 every year, reported The Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

"Representing 35 per cent of the Bahraini workforce, women play a key role in the national economy. It is, therefore, necessary to provide women, whether entrepreneurs, business owners, employees, students, or graduates, with the tools that enable them to grow. Tamkeen set up a women empowerment committee to supervise programmes and developed a women empowerment strategy to serve as a framework for all women support initiatives," Tamkeen chairman and acting chief executive Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa said.

"Tamkeen winning Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka Award for Women's Empowerment in 2009 is a testament to the organisation's contribution to the development of women in Bahrain," he said.

In addition to programmes it launches for the benefit of the private sector, Tamkeen also designs special programmes and initiatives to support women in particular. These include "Riyadat", which was launched on Thursday in co-operation with the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) and Bahrain Development Bank as the first business incubator for Bahraini women entrepreneurs.

Another programme is "Tawseel", which Tamkeen offers in co-operation with the SCW and Ibdaa Bank. Under this programme, women are trained and offered low-cost loans to buy vehicles and manage a transportation business.

In co-operation with the Bahrain Women's Union, Tamkeen also offers a fully subsidised computer education and training programme to improve the skills of Bahraini women.

In consultation sessions with the public to collect views and feedback on its programmes, areas in which women need more support were discussed. The results of those discussions were included in Tamkeen's operational plan for 2014, which will serve as the term of reference for Tamkeen initiatives next year.-TradeArabia News Service