Humaidan: The Ministry encourages and supports all creative ideas to develop the quality of services provided to citizens
16-01-2020
His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development, Mr Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, met in his office with the President of the Capital Mall for Bahraini handmade products, Ms Maryam Hassan, on the occasion of her idea being selected among the twelve finalists of the Government Innovation Competition (Fikra) in its second edition, launched by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister. The idea, titled “AlHafeez”, is an initiative to create an electronic application to sell the products of productive families. The concept behind “AlHafeez” is to develop a smartphone application showcasing the products of Bahraini productive families and craftsmen, reaching the widest possible base of customers seeking to shop online for traditional handicrafts, in light of the increasing use of smartphone applications to market commercial projects’ products. On this occasion, His Excellency Minister Humaidan praised the interest and support of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in honouring all finalists, together with the directives to ministries and government agencies to study the feasibility of implementing the ideas that reached the final stage. He affirmed the Ministry’s readiness to continue providing support to participating employees, and commended Ms Maryam Hassan’s “AlHafeez” initiative, noting her diligence in identifying development needs and opportunities. He emphasised that the initiative was inspired by technological acceleration and the spread of electronic applications promoting Bahraini family products, which strengthened its selection among the twelve finalist ideas in Fikra, particularly as it aims to enhance development‑oriented policies; support productive activities and decent job opportunities; and develop economic and social empowerment programmes for low‑income individuals and families, as well as owners of micro, small and medium enterprises, thereby raising their standard of living. For her part, Ms Maryam Hassan noted the support and encouragement she received from ministry officials during her tenure as head of the Capital Mall for Bahraini Handicrafts, highlighting its positive impact on her ability to innovate, work diligently, and enhance service quality.