A new government grant of up to BD5,000 is available for enterprises wishing to develop in Bahrain.
Details were released by Tamkeen yesterday, as it announced it had resumed receiving applications for its revamped business support programmes.
It temporarily suspended its programmes earlier this year while it refined its offerings.
New schemes include “5K Support”, which caters to enterprises applying for grants of up to BD5,000 in eight categories of support.
These include grants for machinery and equipment, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), quality management, consulting, cloud computing, accounting and auditing services and marketing and branding.
Tamkeen has also relaunched an upgraded website with an improved user interface, which allows electronic activation of user accounts without needing to visit Tamkeen branches.
It is also linked to systems of other government agencies to ensure information accuracy and streamline procedures.
Meanwhile, Tamkeen is planning to relaunch its training and wage support programmes in phases later this month.
“The (business support) programme now boasts many added features to better address the varying characteristics and needs of enterprises from one of their developmental stages to the next,” Tamkeen chief executive Dr Ebrahim Janahi told a Press conference yesterday at the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI).
“These efforts are aligned with the restructuring our internal team underwent to offer the right kind of support for each individual enterprise.
“The end goal of the plan is to amplify the impact of Tamkeen’s support on the development of enterprises on one hand and boost their contribution to the national economy on the other.”
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Other advancements to Tamkeen’s online portal include electronic money transfers, allowing for more secure payments and reduced waiting times.
Virtual field visits are another new feature, allowing Tamkeen to verify receipt of subsidised equipment and machinery through a dedicated audiovisual feed, eliminating the need for physical site inspections.
The GDN reported last month that Tamkeen will be redesigning its Wage Support Programme as part of a nationwide Bahrainisation initiative.
It encourages companies to hire Bahrainis by contributing to their salaries during the first three years of employment, with a breakdown of 70 per cent in the first year followed by 50pc and 30pc in the following years respectively.
The relaunch of Tamkeen schemes is set against growing calls from parliament to prioritise recruitment of Bahraini staff over expatriates.
Already the National Assembly has approved amendments to the 2015 Private Medical Establishments Law, which would force healthcare providers to prioritise Bahraini medics over foreign employees.
On March 6 MPs approved another proposal to Bahrainise all government jobs within four years, before referring it to the government for review.
Last week parliament also voted to scrap a flexible work permit scheme, which allows expats to operate as freelancers in Bahrain by sponsoring themselves, before again referring it to the government for review.
