The Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) is a dynamic public agency with an overall responsibility for formulating and overseeing the economic development strategy of Bahrain, and for creating the right climate to attract direct investment into the Kingdom.

Enterprise

The Bahrain EDB is playing a leading role in a number of important recent initiatives. These include:

			Bahrain's hosting of the Middle East's first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix
			becoming the first country in the Arab world to fully liberalise its telecoms industry
			bringing about the privatisation law
			establishing a Free Trade Agreement with the United States.

The Bahrain EDB is also responsible for attracting inward investment into Bahrain. It focuses on economic sectors in which the Kingdom offers significant strengths, and which are in line with the local culture.

In addition, the Bahrain EDB offers an investor facilitation service for first-time investors who are interested in investing in Bahrain. This service includes acting as the first point of contact to the Kingdom, understanding the objectives of investors, providing them with information regarding the relevant procedures for setting up business, and helping them form a network of contacts in Bahrain.

Entrepreneurship

Bahrain hopes to strengthen the advances it has made in entrepreneurship in recent years. The Kingdom has launched a variety of initiatives aimed at nurturing entrepreneurship skills among Bahraini citizens. Under these initiatives, job-seekers are learning to finance and operate their own businesses.

One prominent example is the Entrepreneurship Development Programme, started up by the UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO) and the Arab Regional Center for Entrepreneurship and Investment (ARCEIT).

Encouraging first generation entrepreneurs

			The Ministry of Industry and Commerce supports first generation entrepreneurs through training and other measures. Educated unemployed youth are encouraged to set up their own business ventures and be employment creators rather than employment seekers. New start ups are encouraged across all economic sectors, particularly in high added-value products with higher knowledge content.
			Bahrain Development Bank (BDB) trainers and motivators are trained, in co-ordination with United Nation Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), to encourage the spread of entrepreneurship. Inclusion of EDB in curricula of vocational and degree level courses is examined in consultation with other concerned agencies in government.
			The intake capacity of existing business incubators is being enhanced and new incubators in technology intensive areas are being set up.