Monday, September 20, 2010
Iraq SMEs to gain from Bahrain growth model
MANAMA: Bahrain is to play a crucial role to further help Iraq develop its small to medium-sized enterprise sector by offering online interactive training for trainers and entrepreneurs.
The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation's (Unido) investment and technology promotion office in Bahrain has been working with the Arab Regional Centre for Entrepeneurship and Investment Training (ARCEIT) since 2007 along with the Italian Co-operation for Development (ICD) in a programme that has seen the bodies provide support to 348 entrepreneurs and train 115 Iraqi experts in enterprise development.
The programme uses what is known as the Bahrain model to help small businesses develop.
Now with a further funding of $2.9 million from ICD, there are plans to extend and reinforce the programme.
Working with UNINETTUNO, an international telematic university, the partners aim to develop distance education programmes on issues related to enterprise development and investment promotions.
UNINETTUNO general manager Gianluca Cortese and ICT director Raimondo Sepe yesterday met Unido and ARCEIT officials for a series of meetings before holding discussions with Bahraini authorities and the Italian Ambassador in Bahrain.
"We have already achieved a lot since we first started working on entrepreneurship in Iraq in 2007, and this information technology-driven exercise will add to the work we are already doing in promoting the Bahrain model in Iraq," said Unido Bahrain head Dr Hashim Sulaiman Hussein.
"The International Telematic University is a consortium of 43 Italian and foreign universities that has been teaching thousands of students by means of television and the Internet since 1992 and we are very pleased to be here in Bahrain to work together to develop this training portal."
business@gdn.com.bh
