This was the central message of the Manama Declaration, issued at the close of the World Entrepreneurs and Investment Forum held this week in Bahrain.
The declaration places women at the centre of global economic change, stressing that empowering them within business and innovation ecosystems is essential to achieving inclusive and sustainable development. It also calls for stronger representation of women in emerging sectors such as the green, blue and orange economies, which support environmental protection, sustainable ocean industries and cultural creativity.
Organised by the UN Industrial Development Organisation’s Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Bahrain, the forum gathered global leaders, investors and entrepreneurs to identify pathways for building a resilient global economy and expanding opportunities for women‑led enterprises.
For many participants, the forum yielded tangible results. Doris Martin, chief executive of DMartin Consultancy in Bahrain, said she secured new partnerships with companies in the United Arab Emirates and Morocco through business‑to‑business meetings. She described the event as an effective platform for real collaboration.
Tosin Arwejulo, Chief Executive of Leadership Excel Consultancy and a Nigerian American entrepreneur based in Bahrain, praised the forum as a powerful networking space. She said it offered a rare opportunity to connect with business leaders from “every continent”.
The forum also drew strong participation from South Asia. Ayanthi Gurusinghe, president of the Ceylon Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka, said delegates from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan used the gathering to exchange lessons on shared challenges such as access to finance. She said the event helped build cross‑regional solidarity and practical solutions.
A special showcase highlighted inclusive entrepreneurship through exhibitions that featured artists with disabilities. Nisreen Samour of the Micro Art Centre in Bahrain said her organisation trains and develops artistic talent, including young people with disabilities and orphans. She said the centre’s goal is to equip them with professional skills that can open pathways into the labour market and promote self‑reliance.
The Manama Declaration reinforced that women’s economic empowerment is central to global progress and that investment in women entrepreneurs is investment in shared prosperity.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
