SME standards workshop held

Manama, June 28 (BNA): Under the patronage of Assistant Undersecretary of Domestic Trade, Hameed Rahma, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism in collaboration with the GCC Standardization Organization and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) organized a workshop on "Constraints Facing Small and Medium Enterprises in Applying the Standards." The assistant undersecretary stressed the importance of developing SMEs sectors and the strategic vital role it plays in economic and social development of the country. He also pointed out that this sector represents large percentage of institutions operating in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the ministry is continuously supporting SMEs to enable them to grow, to be able to meet challenges and achieve sustainability and competitive together. UNIDO expert Osama Abdulhamid presented the workshop indicating the importance of standards in their applying mechanisms as well as their role in enhancing business and trade, increasing productivity and ways to improve the competitiveness of SMEs. He added that the main objective of the workshop is to present the draft study carried out by GCC Standardization Organization, which will identify the most important constraints facing SMEs, government bodies and companies in applying the standards. The workshop was hosted at Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and came out with many recommendations to improve the reality of this sector applying standards in the Kingdom of Bahrain