That was the central message of the Manama Declaration, issued on the shut of the World Entrepreneurs and Funding Discussion board (WEIF) held this week in Bahrain.
The declaration locations ladies on the coronary heart of financial transformation, underscoring that empowering them inside enterprise and innovation ecosystems is important to attaining inclusive and sustainable progress.
It additionally requires strengthening ladies’s presence throughout rising sectors, together with the inexperienced, blue and orange economies which respectively promote environmental accountability, sustainable use of ocean sources and creativity.
Organized by the UN Industrial Improvement Group’s (UNIDO) Funding and Expertise Promotion Workplace in Bahrain, the discussion board convened leaders, traders and entrepreneurs from world wide to form a extra resilient international economic system and unlock new alternatives for women-led enterprises.
“A tremendous alternative”
For a lot of individuals, the discussion board delivered tangible outcomes.
Doris Martin, CEO of DMartin Consultancy in Bahrain, attended in quest of significant collaboration and located it.
By way of business-to-business (B2B) conferences facilitated in the course of the occasion, she established partnerships with corporations within the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.
“This discussion board has been efficient for me,” she instructed UN Information. “I’ve had B2B collaboration with regional corporations by means of Bahrain and thru UNIDO.”
Tosin Arwejulo, CEO of Management Excel Consultancy and a Nigerian-American entrepreneur based mostly in Bahrain, described the discussion board as a “highly effective networking platform.”
“I’ve had the chance to speak to folks from actually each continent,” she mentioned. “It has been an incredible alternative to attach with like-minded leaders.”
UN Information/Abdelmonem Makki
From left to proper: Tosin Arwejulo, CEO of Management Excel Consultancy and a Nigerian-American entrepreneur based mostly in Bahrain, and Doris Martin, CEO of DMartin Consultancy in Bahrain(Within the center).
Shared challenges, shared options
The discussion board’s affect prolonged past the Arab area.
Ayanthi Gurusinghe, President of the Ceylon Chamber of Girls Entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka and consultant of the South Asian Girls Improvement Discussion board, attended alongside delegates from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
She mentioned individuals exchanged useful classes, significantly round entry to finance, a problem confronted by ladies entrepreneurs throughout areas.
“It was a great alternative for networking, to return collectively, share views, be taught and trade experiences,” she mentioned, expressing appreciation to UNIDO for creating an area the place international connections might flourish.
UN Information/Abdelmonem Makki
Ayanthi Gurusinghe, President of the Ceylon Chamber of Girls Entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka and consultant of the South Asian Girls Improvement Discussion board, at WEIF 2026 in Bahrain.
Particular deal with artists with disabilities
Past panel discussions and networking classes, the discussion board additionally spotlighted inclusive entrepreneurship by means of three exhibitions together with on “Decided Inventive Entrepreneur.”
Among the many exhibitors was Nisreen Samour of Micro Artwork Heart in Bahrain, which makes a speciality of coaching and growing creative expertise, with a particular deal with artists with disabilities.
“Immediately, we now have about 9 college students taking part, every specializing in a creative subject that aligns with their pursuits and skills,” she mentioned.
“I personally practice them, and we’re at the moment engaged on growing their abilities and empowering them to provide skilled art work that may assist them successfully enter the artwork market and the job market, thus contributing to elevated productiveness and the middle’s total efficiency” she instructed UN Information.
The centre additionally works with orphans, serving to them develop creative abilities and showcase their work publicly — fostering independence and self-reliance by means of creativity.
UN Information/Abdelmonem Makki
Nisreen Samour of Micro Artwork Heart in Bahrain, which makes a speciality of coaching and growing creative expertise, with a particular deal with artists with disabilities.
The function of academia
One recurring theme was the function of upper schooling in getting ready younger ladies to enter the world of entrepreneurship.
In an interview with UN Information, Dr. Nihal Al-Najjar, professor on the Royal College for Girls in Bahrain, highlighted the necessity to embed entrepreneurship deeply inside tutorial methods.
“Our tutorial function is to combine entrepreneurship not simply as a topic, however as a strategy,” she mentioned, explaining that experiential studying and sensible utility are key. “We encourage college students to assume, innovate and establish gaps in society, after which work to seek out options.”
She added that universities should transcend classroom instructing by connecting college students to the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem, guiding them in direction of mentorship, funding alternatives {and professional} networks when they’re able to launch their very own ventures.
UN Information/Abdelmonem Makki
Dina Najar at WEIF2026 in Manama, Bahrain, masking Sustainable Improvement Targets.
A driving power for sustainable improvement
The World Entrepreneurs and Funding Discussion board (WEIF) was preceded by the annual convention of the Worldwide Girls Entrepreneurial Problem (IWEC)—a New York-based NGO that helps women-owned companies to develop.
Talking on the convention, UNIDO Director Basic Gerd Müller described ladies’s entrepreneurship as a driving power for sustainable improvement, international innovation and financial inclusion.
“We should be sure that ladies in all places have a stage enjoying subject and are given the chance to unlock their full potential,” he said, highlighting persistent boundaries to finance, know-how, and higher-skilled roles for ladies globally.
Reaffirming UNIDO’s dedication, he added that “empowering ladies is important to attaining the Sustainable Improvement Targets.” The 17 SDGs, adopted by governments in 2015, present a blueprint for a extra simply and equitable future for all folks and the planet.
Mr. Müller praised Bahrain’s management in supporting entrepreneurship and ladies’s financial participation and outlined UNIDO’s ongoing work in crisis-affected nations, noting, “UNIDO has simply began working to arrange restoration programmes in Syria, Sudan, and Palestine… principally the ladies there are affected, and so they want our support.”
UNIDO ITPO Bahrain
Gerd Müller, Director Basic of UNIDO, talking on the Worldwide Lady Entrepreneurial Convention in Bahrain 2026.
Girls as engines of enterprise
In her opening remarks, IWEC Chair Ibukun Awosika highlighted ladies’s transformative function as engines of enterprise, management, and nationwide progress.
She emphasised that ladies represent half of the world’s productive belongings and, when empowered, change into recreation changers in company and political management. Drawing on her personal journey, Ms. Awosika recalled constructing a producing group over 36 years earlier than turning into the primary and solely lady chair of sub-Saharan Africa’s oldest monetary establishment, First Financial institution of Nigeria.
“What ladies signify to the world is 50 per cent of its belongings — productive, constructive belongings which are recreation changers when absolutely deployed,” she mentioned.
“Each nation that has sufficient knowledge to take a position and to actualize the expertise that’s in 50 per cent of its inhabitants is a rustic that’s set to win.”
UNIDO ITPO Bahrain
H.E. Mrs. Ibukun Awo, IWECC Chair, talking at WEIF2026 in Bahrain.
Success Tales from Bahrain and Nigeria
In response to its web site, the Worldwide Girls Entrepreneurial Problem (IWEC) has acknowledged 575 distinguished awardees globally, honoured yearly at its conferences and nominated by accomplice organizations, representing women-owned companies from the world over.
In Bahrain, IWEC acknowledged a brand new cohort of awardees from the Center East and Africa.
Amongst them was Sonia Mohamed Janahi, founding father of Maya La Chocolaterie, who highlighted UNIDO’s function in advancing ladies’s entrepreneurship.
With UNIDO’s assist, Janahi expanded her Bahraini chocolate model into Africa, establishing a cocoa processing plant in Côte d’Ivoire, creating jobs, selling moral provide chains, and guaranteeing international recognition for African-produced chocolate.
“UNIDO has performed a really very important function in my development. They’ve taken my mission and opened alternatives for me,” she instructed UN Information, underscoring UNIDO’s dedication to recognizing ladies entrepreneurs throughout Bahrain, the Center East, and Africa.
“This occasion represents ladies globally and investments over $6 billion that carry ladies globally collectively. It awards ladies who haven’t simply began a enterprise however have sustained a enterprise and scaled up a enterprise and have had an affect on the economic system and on the society.”
Additionally honoured was Nigerian entrepreneur Oluwakelemi, who mentioned her gifting and way of life retail enterprise, which employs ladies and helps family incomes throughout Nigeria whereas getting ready to increase internationally.
“I’m enthusiastic about constructing scalable African companies with international attain,” she instructed UN Information. “Not lower than 5,000 folks have been in a position to profit from our enterprise, from our work.”
UNIDO ITPO Bahrain
