Manama : The Labour Fund (Tamkeen) held a press conference to launch its new strategy for 2026 – 2030 and to highlight the most prominent achievements the fund has accomplished since its establishment 20 years ago, including its key role in supporting the development process and strengthening the private sector to serve as the main engine of the national economy.
The new strategy was unveiled with a focus on directing support towards priority sectors and future skills, contributing to maximising the impact of support and achieving positive returns with direct reflections on the national economy and Bahrainis, in line with national priorities and the requirements of the next phase.
The press conference was held on the sidelines of a meeting organised by the Tamkeen, attended by a number of Their Excellencies ministers, alongside a group of chief executives and business leaders from both the public and private sectors. The event reviewed the details of the 2026 – 2030 strategy and the achievements of the past two decades, reflecting the importance of the occasion in unifying efforts, supporting national directions and achieving the desired economic impact.
During the conference, Maha Abdulhameed Mofeez, Chief Executive of Tamkeen, said that over the past twenty years, the fund has contributed to building an enabling and supportive environment for the growth and development of the private sector through investing in developing the skills and capabilities of national talent, and enhancing enterprise growth by providing support opportunities that enable them to realise their full potential for expansion and sustainability.
She highlighted that over the past two decades, the fund has contributed more than BHD 2.6 billion to supporting the national economy through direct and indirect financing, in addition to more than 300,000 opportunities to develop Bahrainis across the fund’s various programmes and more than 92,000 opportunities to develop enterprises across different sectors and sizes, as well as supporting approximately BHD 920 million as the total value of loans and financing support.
She also reviewed the features of the fund’s 2026 – 2030 strategy, which is based on four main priorities: Focusing the fund’s efforts on areas with the highest returns for the economy and Bahrainis based on evidence and data; contributing to designing career pathways through initiatives that link skills with opportunities available in the labour market; adopting innovative approaches to stimulate private sector growth and financing; and enhancing the fund’s effectiveness and efficiency by developing internal mechanisms and continuing to strengthen governance.
She noted that the strategy was prepared using multiple methodologies, including analysing the fund’s current position, incorporating beneficiaries’ views, drawing on regional and international best practices, analysing future trends, and developing a labour market supply and demand model to ensure sustainable impact for the national economy and local talent.
On her part, Alya Al Aali, Deputy Chief Executive for Strategy and Insights at Tamkeen, said that the priorities of the 2026 – 2030 strategy will be translated into a package of carefully designed initiatives to ensure the achievement of the desired positive impact in accordance with clear performance standards and defined measurement indicators.
She also noted that work is underway to launch the “Tamkeen Bahrain” application, which will provide an integrated digital experience that facilitates access to services and enhances the beneficiary experience.
Khalid Al Bayat, Deputy Chief Executive for Programme Development and Delivery at Tamkeen, said that newly developed programmes currently being designed will be announced in the coming period, ensuring their alignment with the new strategic priorities and the current and future needs of the labour market.
He added that Tamkeen will operate under an updated structure for programmes and initiatives, centred on achieving qualitative indicators across six main objectives, including developing and enhancing the skills of Bahrainis, enabling entry into the labour market, providing incentives for employment and career progression, supporting the launch of start-ups, supporting the growth and expansion of small and medium enterprises, and reinventing business models.
This marks the fund’s sixth strategic cycle, as Tamkeen continues to update its strategy, directions and priorities to ensure alignment with changes and needs in the labour market, meet the requirements of the private sector, strengthen its capacity for growth and expansion, and empower local talent to play an active role in advancing economic development and contributing to the desired economic impact.
