Bahrain’s Labour Fund (Tamkeen) has announced its support for the expansion of Awal Dairy Company as part of its plan to increase productivity, export capacity, and expand into local and regional markets.
With Tamkeen’s backing the company aims to double the production of fresh dairy products and increase long-life products by 40%, which will contribute to creating jobs for tens of Bahrainis in addition to increasing the volume of exports by 10%.
Tamkeen’s support comes through the Business Growth Programme, which provides grants to help organisations improve their operations through acquiring machinery and equipment, enhancing process automation, and employing technology.
Export avenues
It also supports export opportunities through quality management systems, export-related costs, and other pathways that enable the organisation to adopt a more flexible and productive approach to expand its presence in the market.
Maha Mofeez, Chief Executive of Tamkeen, said: “The manufacturing sector is the second largest non-oil sector that contributes to Bahrain’s national GDP with a contribution of 14%, and the third largest employer with 11% of total private sector workforce in the kingdom. Therefore, our focus on supporting the development of local factories serves our main objectives of creating more job opportunities for local talent and increasing the contribution of this sector to the national economy."
She added: “Awal Dairy Company is among the leading companies in Bahrain that works to meet the local market demand for high-quality dairy products, while also being an exporter of these products to regional markets. Through this support, we aim to increase the company’s production lines which in turn will facilitate growth and expansion, and contribute to creating employment opportunities for Bahrainis.”
Great value
Khalid Yousuf Abdul Rahman, Vice Chairman at Awal Dairy Company, hailed Tamkeen’s support and emphasised its importance in the growth and development of the kingdom’s manufacturing sector. He stated: “Tamkeen’s ongoing support for local manufacturing companies to grow and expand adds great value to Bahrain’s manufacturing sector. With this support, we are looking forward to increasing our production and exports of Bahraini products through the expansion of our operations, which will also enable us to employ talented Bahrainis who can contribute with their knowledge and expertise to the productivity and growth of Awal Dairy.”
The support is in line with Tamkeen’s strategic objectives for the year which focus on four key priorities: facilitating the increased economic participation of Bahrainis, providing training that is aligned with the labor market needs in new and emerging skills, as well as enterprise and ecosystem development, all of which drive positive economic impact and sustainable growth.-- TradeArabia News Service
