Manama, Bahrain – 8 December 2016:  The American Chamber of Commerce Bahrain (AmCham Bahrain) today announced that the Kingdom of Bahrain is set to host the AmCham MENA Regional Council’s Bi-Annual Forum aimed at promoting trade and investment between the United States, Bahrain and the markets of the Middle East and the North Africa region. To be held in Manama on 15-16 March 2017, this year’s Forum will be  titled - SMEs Unlocking Economic Potential in the MENA Region.
The Forum will review the role of SMEs as drivers for the region’s economic growth and highlight successful programs for assisting SMEs to scale up for regional and international trade.  The event is expected to attract more than 400 attendees including MENA Council member AmChams (Abu Dhabi-UAE, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia) as well as other regional US Business Councils (Dubai, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi), a broad range of international and regional business associations, U.S. Chambers of Commerce and U.S. government representatives.  

“AmCham Bahrain, as the current Chair of the AmCham MENA Council, is delighted to announce the hosting of this important upcoming Forum in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” said Mr. Qays H. Zu'bi, President of AmCham Bahrain. “Held every two years, this conference provides a unique platform to strengthen business ties between MENA markets and the many U.S. entities either already doing business or keen to transact in the region. This year we look forward to focusing our efforts on promoting the development of SMEs and supporting their integration into regional and global trade. The growth of SMEs is critical to regional economic development and the Forum aims to provide SMEs from across the region with new ideas, connections and resources to extend their reach, expand their markets of opportunity and effectively achieve growth both at a company level as well as to contributing to the broader economic development on a country and regional level.”

Mr. Zu’bi continued, “We especially look forward to welcoming attendees to Bahrain, which has already made considerable efforts toward establishing itself as a hub for SMEs through the many unique programs and initiatives that have been created. These, among other regional examples, will be showcased and serve to highlight the opportunities that exist for SMEs both in Bahrain and across the MENA markets.”

Some of the topics to be explored include: “SME’s as key drivers of economic development in the MENA region,” “Assessment of key factors challenging the growth of SMEs in the region”, and strategies for “The integration of regional SMEs into the supply chain of U.S. and multinational companies in the region.”

The Forum’s full agenda and further details will soon be announced and are being developed in cooperation with all regional AmChams with the support of the MENA Council Secretariat at AmCham Egypt.