The American Chamber of Commerce Bahrain (AmCham Bahrain), will host this year’s AmCham Mena Regional Council’s Annual Forum, which is set to take place in the Kingdom of Bahrain on March 15 and 16.

The Forum, which aims to promote the expansion of trade and investment between the markets of the Mena region and the US, will this year focus on SMEs: Unlocking Economic Potential in the Mena Region. 

In particular, the Forum will prioritise the delivery of tangible results for attending companies including helping them to connect directly with potential partners, investors and clients and more swiftly scale up for international investment, trade and business engagement through a series of focused strategy discussions, B2B matchmaking and workshops, it said in a statement.

Supporting the Forum from Bahrain, whose economy will also be in the spotlight, is Strategic Forum Partner, the Bahrain Economic Development (EDB), in addition to Tamkeen, the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Tourism. Also central to the planning and success of the event is the cooperation being received from the US Chamber of Commerce and the Mena Council Secretariat at AmCham Egypt.

Commenting, Qays H Zubi, president of AmCham Bahrain, said: “For more than 12 years, the Forum has excelled at bringing together business leaders, associations and government representatives to create opportunities for new partnerships, the expansion of markets and overall business growth. AmCham Bahrain has been hard at work ensuring that we effectively build upon this legacy and the important platform that has been created. Working in close cooperation with key organisations in the Kingdom of Bahrain as well as our AmCham colleagues from across the Mena region, we are proud to have developed a strong programme for the upcoming Forum in March, one that we are confident can helping attending companies meet their business objectives and growth potential.”

Great interest has been building in the Forum from high level delegations of business leaders and decision and policy makers. This includes an expected 300 participants comprising representatives from the US and Mena governments, multilateral financing institutions supporting SME development in the region.