Riffa, Bahrain: The American University of Bahrain (AUBH) kicked off its first AUBH Entrepreneurship Week, under the theme of “Entrepreneurship in the Digital Era”. The AUBH Entrepreneurship Week focused on attracting students and graduates to explore opportunities for investment, entrepreneurship, and expansion. 

This inaugural edition of the AUBH Entrepreneurship Week comes in line with the University’s efforts to bolster Bahrain’s status on the entrepreneurship landscape and promote the entrepreneurial culture amongst the youth in the Kingdom. The week-long activities served as a platform to foster and enhance the entrepreneurial ecosystem and included several panel discussions, seminars, a podcast screening, an entrepreneurship competition for high school students, and a youth market.

On this occasion, Dr. Bradley J. Cook, AUBH President, commented, “Celebrating the first AUBH Entrepreneurship Week is a steppingstone for what’s to come next. This will be a landmark event for future entrepreneurial activities that are a part of our mission. We hope this initiative inspires youth to take the initiative, think outside the box, and navigate their path towards business ownership while being armed with the right approach and knowledge.”

Dr. Fatema Alaali, Dean of the College of Business and Management emphasized the importance of shedding light on Bahrain’s entrepreneurial landscape stating, “Bahrain’s 2030 vision has cultivated a solid foundation and a strong entrepreneurial climate over the past few years. AUBH is keen to provide a holistic entrepreneurial experience through relevant academic courses, seminars, competitions and industrial opportunities, for students, that will enable them to generate innovative ideas and have the opportunity to launch their business during their university years.”

Speakers included Nawaf Al Kooehji, CEO of Tenmou; Faisal Al Arrayedh, Head of Creative Sectors, Business Development, Tamkeen; Mahmood Qannati, CEO of Qannati Objet d’Art; Ali Farooq, Co-founder of Local BH; Ahmed Mahmood, Co-ounder of Doctori app, Naser Al Hamer, Founder of Doobi, and Aida AlMudaifa, Founder of Early Riser.

Entrepreneurship is taught through various courses at AUBH to provide youth with opportunities and help them understand the role of entrepreneurship in stimulating the economy. This underlines AUBH’s commitment to developing talent and skill, in line with Bahrain’s focus on shaping a regional hub for entrepreneurs, as part of its ongoing efforts to meet key goals within the Economic Vision 2030.