Manama, Bahrain: The Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Kingdom of Bahrain held a conference yesterday (February 25, 2007) on “Enhancing SME Access to Finance and Transparency in Corporate Governance”, in partnership with the Labour Fund, the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), and in alliance with the Commercial Law Development Program, a program of the US Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel, and Financial Services Volunteer Corp. (FSVC).
The Conference was held under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Hassan Abdulla Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, at the Sheraton Bahrain Hotel. Drawing on the experiences of both local and international experts, Conference speakers included Her Highness Dr. Shaikha Hissah Bin Saad Al Abdulla Salim Al Sabah, from Kuwait, and experts from the Commercial Law Development Program of the US Department of Commerce and Financial Services Volunteers Corp.
The Conference's opening address was given by His Excellency Dr. Fakhro, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, and introductory remarks were given by the Honorable William T. Monroe, United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain; Mrs. Deon Woods Bell, Senior Counsel, Commercial Law Development Program, U.S. Department of Commerce; and Mr. Andrew Cunningham, Managing Director, FSVC.
The Conference addressed a number of vital topics, integral to SME growth and development: The Role of Banks in Providing Financial Services to SMEs; SME Financing Scheme Products; The Role of Small Business Administration in Facilitating the Creation and Growth of SMEs; Accessing Non Bank Finance: Equity and Venture Capital; The Role of SME’s in Growing Economies; Productivity and Entrepreneurial Financing; Bahrain’s Draft Code: Nuts and Bolts; The Impact of the Corporate Governance Code; and The Role of LMRA in Improving Governance.
Approximately 200 attendees participated in the Conference, including: small and medium business owners, entrepreneurs, commercial bankers, lawyers who represent small and medium business owners, representatives from non-bank financial institutions, representatives from Bankers’ Society of Bahrain, and representatives from Bahrain’s government agencies.
