Bahrain Launches MEET ICT & BITEX 2025 With Bold AI Push

Under the patronage of H.E. Dr Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Bahrain inaugurated MEET ICT & BITEX 2025, a landmark gathering of industry leaders, innovators, and global technology specialists. The event was held under the theme: “Innovation, Transform, Elevate: AI for the New Economy.”

The opening ceremony brought together a wide roster of corporate and technology figures, setting a forward-looking tone for the Kingdom’s digital ambitions and its positioning within the regional AI ecosystem.

AI as a Driver of Workforce Development-

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Tribune, Ahmed Al Hujairy, CEO of ThinkSmart Gulf, emphasized that artificial intelligence has become the primary driver of workforce development across the Gulf.

Al Hujairy explained that ThinkSmart, founded over 22 years ago in Bahrain, initially focused on promoting technology skills and was among the first in the region to introduce cybersecurity training. Today, the company provides executive, end-user, and IT professional training across the Gulf, with Bahrain serving as a central hub for GCC-wide operations.

He further revealed that ThinkSmart has expanded into Africa with a new operational node in Morocco, offering programmes in both classroom and online formats. Al Hujairy stressed that AI now represents the strongest and fastest-growing demand, supported by partnerships with leading global AI companies that enable the firm to deploy specialised training across the region.

“Organisations are no longer asking whether to adopt AI, but how quickly they can implement it at scale,” he said.

Mapping the AI Journey-

During the event, Mr Tamer Aly, Leader of Data and AI at Gulf Business Machines (GBM), provided insights into the evolving AI landscape, detailing how organisations progress from exploration to full-scale transformation. Aly outlined the spectrum of AI capabilities, ranging from generative intelligence and predictive modelling to conversational assistants and agentic AI systems capable of undertaking complex tasks.

He explained that organisations typically move through several maturity phases, beginning with awareness and exploration, before advancing to operational deployment, enterprise integration, and ultimately transformation. Aly emphasized that true transformation occurs only when AI is embedded across organisational structures, operating models, and decision-making processes.

MEET ICT & BITEX 2025 thus marks a bold step in Bahrain’s strategy to solidify its role as a regional AI hub, fostering innovation, workforce development, and large-scale AI adoption.