Bahrain’s Labour Fund (Tamkeen) will support the employment of approximately 70 Bahrainis over the next three years at the Bahrain-based Arabic Digital Research Institute (ADRI), with 40 of them already employed as of date. 

 

The majority of Tamkeen’s support is for technology related positions. ADRI is a leading innovator specialised in developing AI technologies for the Mena region with a mission to remove language barriers for Arabic speakers and empower the educational sector through their platform which is house to over 500 scientific and research articles in Arabic covering a wide range of sectors and specialties which have been translated from English using AI.  

 

The new appointments will be facilitated through Tamkeen’s National Employment Programme (NEP) and Mid-Career & Executive Leadership programme. In addition, Tamkeen provided research and development support to the company through the Innovation Programme to help with their objective to improve the availability of online scientific and research content in Arabic. 

 

Creativity and innovation

Maha Abdulhameed Mofeez, Chief Executive of Tamkeen, said: “It is a priority for us in Tamkeen to champion creativity and innovation, especially in emerging and growing fields such as Artificial Intelligence. That’s why we’re keen on supporting initiatives such as ADRI, which utilises technology and innovation to bridge the gap in digital Arabic content. Companies that can facilitate the exchange of information and research are an important part of Bahrain’s business ecosystem; they encourage innovation, empower businesses, and help to drive sustainable economic growth.”

 

ADRI CEO, Ali Mazraeh, said: "Tamkeen’s support will accelerate our efforts to deploy computer vision and natural language processing in addressing the limited availability of Arabic research content – a very real social issue for the Mena region. By expanding access to online Arabic content, we can make a substantial contribution to the advancement of Arab culture through empowering researchers, students, and professionals across the region with the latest scientific findings.”

 

Arabising content

ADRI provides several services focused on Arabising content and producing high quality content in the Arabic language, such as translation through AI, reviewing and proofreading, digitising Arabic content by utilising advanced Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technologies and scripting in various Arabic dialects. 

 

The agreement is in line with wider efforts by Tamkeen to connect Bahraini tech talent with companies looking to fill specialised roles through initiatives such as Kawader, a portal that connects local ICT talent with employers, and by helping thousands of Bahrainis achieve professional certifications that open up local and international employment opportunities.-- TradeArabia News Service