Innovation ‘key to growth’

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, and First Deputy Prime Minister, yesterday attended the second edition of the Pitch@Palace GCC competition, held under his patronage at Arad Fort. HRH the Crown Prince was accompanied by HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

During the event, HRH the Crown Prince stressed the importance of further stimulating economic growth and prosperity by investing in initiatives that support creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship amongst young people in Bahrain, in line with the Kingdom’s comprehensive development programme led by HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

In this regard, HRH the Crown Prince welcomed Bahrain’s hosting of the second edition of Pitch@Palace GCC, congratulating the winners and all those who competed for producing such innovative and inspiring presentations. In the opening speech, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Zayed R Al Zayani, thanked HRH the Crown Prince for his continuing support for Bahrain’s young entrepreneurs and emphasised the important role initiatives like Pitch@Palace play in enabling the development of startups.

The minister went on to explain that the programme provides participating entrepreneurs with training, skills and exposure to a vast network of businesspeople and experts. Mr Al Zayani concluded by highlighting how the Pitch@ Palace initiative aligns with the Kingdom’s objectives to nurture an entrepreneurial ecosystem, both domestically and throughout the wider region.