University of Bahrain holds the Global Green Industry Program in cooperation with the United Nations

 

 

The Green Industrial Development Program “Towards a Circular Economy” was launched at the University of Bahrain on Sunday with the participation of researchers and experts from around 20 countries. The program aimed to spread knowledge about green industry and its role in sustainable development.

The event was organized by the University of Bahrain in cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Capacity Development and Training Program at UN, the Supreme Council for the Environment, the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies, (Dirasat), and the Arab International Center for Entrepreneurship & Investment.

Within five days of the program, nine experts will be discussing waste removal, detoxification, energy efficiency, renewable energy, emission control, waste management, pollution control and circular economics.

Prof. Riyad Yousef Hamzah, President of the University of Bahrain, spoke about the topic of the program, stating: “The circular economy is now the focus of international attention as it is considered the economy that seeks to rebuild capital, whether financial, industrial, human or social.” He pointed that this economy seeks to improve resource revenues by recycling products, components and raw materials used at all times to ensure the continuous flow of materials and technical goods.

“The recycling and re-manufacturing of products, which makes them valuable and useful, is part of the investment, which is at the core of sustainability, especially since 90% of the raw materials used in manufacturing become waste before the product comes out of the plant and soon get rid of 80 % of these wastes during the first months of use, according to studies,” Prof. Hamzah added.

The University President believes that Bahrain and the countries of the region have the ability to benefit from green industry technologies in stimulating sustainable development and finding innovative solutions to secure their energy needs, especially as they possess the necessary infrastructure and technology. He called for the completion of the legislative system that will regulate the industry and encourage companies to invest in them.

The intensive program on green industry includes 22 participants from Uganda, Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Nigeria, Sudan, South Africa, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Jordan and Bahrain. Most of the participants are principal managers and researchers. The program has nine speakers from: Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Britain and Bahrain.

Dr. Fuad Hamdan, a faculty member at the University of Jordan, said that the green industry can play a major role in the advancement of the economies of the region, a large part of its budget being directed towards generating energy, while renewable energy can be relied on for green industry. In an interview on the first day of the program, Dr. Hamdan believed that finding international funding for these projects would help countries to expand in the fields of green industry, referring to the initiative of the World Bank to finance green technology projects in developing countries.

Dr Khalil Ibrahim Al-Juboori , professor of geometrical measurements at the College of Engineering, University of Bahrain, believed in the importance of spreading the culture of optimal utilization of resources, recycling of waste, and stopping all forms of waste.

Dr Al-Juboori said: “Green materials and technologies that provide energy are available to a certain extent, but we need a culture that helps to invest in this area to conserve the environment and find sustainable and innovative solutions to stimulate comprehensive development.”

For his part, Dr. Anis Al-Dahamneh, member of the National Agency for Electronic Resources in Tunisia, stated that green industry projects require research by experts, strategic plans, and cooperation with international organizations, both in terms of technical matters or funding. However, at the same time, he stressed the importance of people’s awareness of the importance of green industry and its benefits for its products to be hoped for.