Labour fund Tamkeen is supporting 43 Bahraini entrepreneurs to exhibit their products and services at the ongoing 'Health and Wellness Fair and Food & Hospitality Expo 2012' in Manama.

The expo, which runs at the Bahrain International Exhibition Center till April 19, will see these local firms demonstrated their entrepreneurial skills, said a statement from Tamkeen.

The support for the entrepreneurs came through “Tarweej,” one of the major schemes under Tamkeen's flagship Enterprise Development Support Programme, which seeks to promote the competitiveness of Bahraini business enterprises.

This year also saw participation of 10 productive families at Food and Hospitality Expo. The two events are considered to be the most coveted in their respective fields providing an opportunity for Bahraini entrepreneurs to learn latest developments in the market, compete with big companies, and explore new marketing and investment opportunities.

Thanking Tamkeen for the help, the entrepreneurs commended the level of support extended by the labour fund and also the smoothness of the application process.

Encouraged by her positive experience with Tamkeen, founder of ChocoFoz, Fawzeya Murad expressed her satisfaction with the support given from Tamkeen saying that the application processes was clear and straightforward.

Murad further indicated that she is currently enrolled in several Enterprise Development Support Programmes and has previously participated in other schemes, such as Techania, which enabled her to purchase more equipment for her newly opened branch.

Ebrahim Al Jurdabi, the owner of Jewel Dates Kingdom, which specialises in premium dates participating in the Food & Hospitality Expo extended his appreciation to the support extended by Tamkeen through “ Tarweej.”

Al Jurdabi pointed out that he had earlier taken part in several events and expos such as the Bahrain Garden Show with the support of Tamkeen.

This, he said, had given him further exposure to the market and enabled him to reinforce his brand and sell his products to a wider range of customers during the event.

Owner and managing partner of Dar Al Zain Resturant Omar Al Atawi, said this was his first appearance through a Tamkeen programme.

He praised the support that he and his partners received and stated that the sophisticated yet expedient application proccess had encouraged them to repeat the experience in the near future.

Another participant in the Health and Wellness Expo, Fatima Al Balooshi, the manager of Home Health Care Centre which specialises in providing home health services, commended the level of support given by Tamkeen.

Al Balooshi noted that the financial aid of upto 80 per cent given by Tamkeen provided a golden opportunity for business enterprises, in particular small and start- up businesses, to extend the reach of their products and services at local and international expos.

She also appreciated Tamkeen’s role of re-investing in Bahrain’s business sector and human capital in a systematic and inventive manner to achieve objectives of Vision 2030.

Commenting on the selection process, Mohammed Bucheery, the private sector support senior manager, said, "We examine and select a diverse group of events for the “Tarweej” to ensure the fair implementation of the programme while at the same time maximizing the benefit to all sectors within Bahrain."

"We have covered up to 80 per cent of the participation cost for 24 enterprises and 10 productive families in the Food & Hospitality Expo and up to 80 per cent for 19 enterprises in the Health and Wellness Expo with a total support amount of BD38000 in these two exhibitions."

During the second phase of the Enterprise Development Support Programme, Tamkeen spent more than BD1.5 million in financial support to assist more than 781 business enterprises to take part in a number of local and international events and Exhibitions through “Tarweej.”

"To benefit from the scheme in the upcoming national and global expos, entrepreneurs must submit their applications to EDSA with the required documents within one month prior to the event," Bucheery added.-TradeArabia News Service