A matchmaking website is needed to pair up Bahraini and American firms looking to do business, according to a trade expert.

The proposal has been put forward by Dr Sharon Freeman, director of the international business development office at Washington DC's Chamber of Commerce and chairwoman of DC Chamber's international committee.

She said the US government already had web portals for each of its agencies, for small businesses and for specific subjects such as exporting.

She, however, said cross-border trade would be massively enhanced if there was a single site for companies on the lookout for an overseas partner.

'You could have a portal - an electronic interface - where businesses here (in Bahrain) are profiled with businesses from the US in similar industries, so they can get to know each other in a virtual way,' she suggested.

'I think chambers of commerce are a good resource for getting the word out, particularly in our country too (the US) because we have so many local chambers.'

She said that in any country, it always took time for the business community to understand the benefits of a Free Trade Agreement, how it worked and how to link up with foreign firms.

Dr Freemen also called for more networking opportunities - especially for companies owned by women in the Middle East.

'I think it will be interesting to facilitate women learning from each other - not just from this region, but networking them with the US,' she said.

'It would be a good idea to have a mentor-prodigy programme, where firms could agree to share their lessons learned - some firms in the US as mentors and maybe some firms here as prodigies.'-TradeArabia News Service