University of Bahrain Empower 3,000 Women Students to Launch 30 Startups

Press release

Published March 13th, 2018 - 01:00 GMT

the University of Bahrain has launched the ‘Forsati for her’ project in partnership with United Nations Development Programme, Microsoft, Think Smart and Tamkeen.

Manama Aimed at educating 3,000 female programmers with a target of setting up tech businesses by thirty among them, the University of Bahrain has launched the ‘Forsati for her’ project in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Microsoft, Think Smart and Tamkeen.

“The road to becoming more than a knowledge economy but an innovation economy starts with having skilled human capital,” UoB President Prof Riyad Hamzah said at the launch of the programme yesterday.

The project is part of UoB’s five-year Transformation Plan developed in 2016, aimed at making science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education attractive, improving access to technology education, widening active participation in digital literacy, playing an active part in the entrepreneurship ecosystem and increased partnership working.

“With the launch of FINTECH Bay and the Startup Bahrain initiative, it is good timing that we are able to support a project designed to develop highly skilled female programmers,’’ said the President.

“The digital economy requires talent and infrastructure; here at UOB we have the talent.” He added

“The 3,000 digitally empowered female students will provide the backbone for Bahrain’s emerging digital economy and growing entrepreneurship ecosystem,” said Prof Riyad Hamzah.

United Nations Resident Coordinator Amin El Sharkawi and Economic Development Board Managing Director Simon Galpin attended the event.

Source: News of Bahrain

Background Information

University of Bahrain

As the national university of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the university has a mandate to lead the nation in terms of human capital development, leading innovation, contributing to economic development and leading society.

Technology and the rapidly changing external environment, which is transforming teaching and research, are challenging the traditional view of the university. Students and wider society require year round access to high quality courses and flexible modes of delivery. The economic context of the GCC and challenges that we currently face of growing the private sector are also challenges that the University of Bahrain must respond to through focusing on producing a high quality and skilled workforce and the next generation of leaders.