Connect with us

Latest News

Burgan Bank sponsors CODED’s Academy X in 2025

Published

on

KUWAIT: As part of its ongoing efforts to lead Kuwait’s progress toward realizing Vision 2035, Burgan Bank announced its strategic sponsorship of Academy X, the biggest women’s empowerment initiative in Kuwait’s tech industry, led by CODED Academy with the support of Kuwait University (KU). This sponsorship comes as part of Burgan’s yearlong comprehensive social responsibility program, further aligning with its commitment to women’s empowerment and embedding the highest standards of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) into its practices and operations.

“Following the great joint success, we achieved with Burgan Lab Academy, we are delighted to renew our partnership with CODED as strategic sponsors of their outstanding women in tech and entrepreneurship empowerment initiative, Academy X, which echoes our devoted strategy for investing in Kuwait’s aspiring talents through innovative learning and development programs,” said Bashar Al-Qattan, Executive Manager – Learning & Talent Development at Burgan Bank.

He added: “As a business that grows around the market’s evolving modern needs, our success relies greatly on leveraging our tech-driven national talents’ innovative creativity and problem-solving prowess. Nonetheless, our envisioned success cannot be fully realized until we guarantee a fair opportunity for talents of both genders to lead our technology and digital transformation efforts — a fair opportunity that begins with early access to advanced tech education and training.”

Fatma Ahmad, Senior Manager – Learning and Development at Burgan Bank, said: “We believe that holding spaces where women can learn together and inspire one another can have a fundamental long-term impact on the sustainable development of our institution, sector, and economy. That’s why, as part of our Empower Her program, and in compliance with the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) and Kuwait’s Vision 2035, we strive to continue playing an active role in achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls in Kuwait through valuable partnerships and forward-looking learning and development initiatives, such as Academy X. Our sponsorship of Academy X also comes as an extension of Burgan’s ‘Teach Them Young’ initiative for preparing future tech leaders.”

Hashim Behbehani, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at CODED Academy, said: “We are proud of our partnership with Burgan Bank in supporting Academy X, which represents a true alignment between our mission to empower young women and the bank’s unwavering commitment to supporting women through its initiatives. Burgan’s contribution to the program reflects a genuine dedication to creating meaningful social impact and opening new development opportunities that support the ambitions of Kuwaiti girls in tech and entrepreneurship. This partnership paves the way for promising career paths in an evolving digital world, and we take pride in working with an organization that places women’s empowerment at the heart of its social strategy.”

Building on the success of its first edition, Academy X, with the support of Burgan Bank, is preparing to roll out its 2025 round where it continues to inspire and guide young women with an aptitude for IT development and entrepreneurship. The one-year program, which includes six-day sessions for each cohort, is designed to introduce the 2025 applicants to the principles of successful user interface and user experience design (UI/UX), the latest artificial intelligence (AI) tools, the foundations of entrepreneurship, as well as leadership and soft skills.

The program’s interactive hands-on nature guarantees that participants have an opportunity to translate their newly acquired knowledge into individual and group projects that rely on tools such as TelePort, UiZard, Gamma, Adobe Logo Maker, and Adalo. In addition, the program’s 2025 edition will also include engaging talks delivered by some of Kuwait’s most prominent female leaders in tech innovation and entrepreneurship, for a chance to relay their experiences first-hand to the Academy X participants and give them personalized feedback on their startup ideas and how they present them to the market.

As part of its sponsorship, Burgan Bank aims to aid Academy X in achieving its goals of increasing the program registrations from 340+ in 2024 to 500 in 2025, as well as encouraging more students to launch their startups through post-program mentorship and introducing more AI tools to fully utilize participants’ innovative and creative energy.

As a certified Great Place to Work, Burgan Bank has a long track record of initiatives and programs dedicated to enabling women in the workplace and preparing young women for a prosperous career in banking and finance. These efforts include, but are not exclusive to, the Lean-In Circle for Women Empowerment program, which explores and addresses women-specific challenges in the workplace; and the Empower Her summer internship program for undergraduate young women wishing to pursue a career in banking.

Latest News

Al-Nuwaisib Customs foils smuggling of 620 cartons of cigarettes hidden in vehicle tires.

Published

on

By

KUWAIT: As part of the ongoing efforts by the General Administration of Customs to combat smuggling, customs inspectors at the Nuwaiseeb border crossing foiled an attempt to smuggle cigarettes out of the country.

When a vehicle arrived at the inspection area, the inspector did a routine check and didn’t find anything illegal inside except for 20 packs of cigarettes that were visible.

After inspecting the vehicle and passing it through an X-ray machine, abnormal densities were found in the four tires, and a manual inspection revealed 620 packs of cigarettes professionally hidden inside the tires.

 A report was filed on the incident, and the seized items and suspects were referred to the competent authorities to complete the remaining legal procedures against them.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Family visit visas to Kuwait valid for up to one year: official

Published

on

By

KUWAIT: Family visas for expats are valid from one month to one year like tourist visas, a top interior ministry official announced on Wednesday, a day after the ministry said all expats can bring in their extended families to the country without the need for a salary cap condition.

Deputy director of the electronic services at the Residency Affairs Department Col Abdulaziz Al-Kandari told reporters at the government communications center that family visas can be for a single entry for one month, or two months or three months.

It can also be for multiple entries for between three months to one year, provided any single stay should not exceed one month, he said.

Kuwait on Tuesday said that family visas for expats was open for everyone with a valid residence permit, thus abolishing the salary cap condition that restricted the majority of expats from bringing in their wives and children to Kuwait.

The ministry also said family visas were expanded to include four-degree relatives and third-degree relatives by marriage.

Kundari said that expats willing to bring their relatives can apply online at Kuwaitvisa platform or application by uploading the necessary documents.

Relatives allowed to be brought by expat residents include a wide range of relatives from wives, children, parents to parents of the wife, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces, grandfathers and grandmothers, grandchildren of both the applicants and their wives and others.

They also include the father’s wife for both applicants and wives, the son’s wife, the daughter’s husbands and similar relatives.

For a majority of applications only a birth certificate is required and a marriage certificate is needed for some cases to establish the relationship. Col Kandari said that all documents must be in Arabic and documents in other languages must be translated into Arabic from authorized offices.

Kandari also announced a large number of professionals residing in GCC states and who can obtain a tourist visa either on arrival or online through the Kuwaitvisa platform.

They include chairmen of companies, their deputies and assistants, diplomats and embassy staff, general managers, managers and their assistants and deputies, judges, public prosecutors and lawyers, university academics, holders of golden visas, investors, businessmen and partners and others.

They also include real estate owners, consultants and their assistants, experts and assistants, senior jobs in travel and tourism business, accountants, auditors and financial analysts, doctors and surgeons and their assistants, pharmacists and their assistants, nurses and their assistants, medical technicians, engineers and their assistants, school teachers and assistants, information analysts and alike, pilots and air stewards and others.

They also include referees and coaches and their assistants, journalists and media men, in addition to professions that come under physicists, chemists, geologists, marketing officer, advisor, vessel captain and alike.

Permitted professions can be checked through the Kuwaitvisa platform while applying online.

Kundari said that applicants must also state their address in Kuwait or the address of their hosts.

Kandari said that all types of visas are open to all nationalities except for the Israeli nationality which is barred by an Amiri decree. He also said that holders of travel documents can obtain a visa with the approval of the interior minister.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Sadu House workshop sheds light on hand-weaving

Published

on

By

KUWAIT: Sadu House held a workshop titled “Embroidery Using the Nafash Needle Technique,” as part of the 17th edition of the “Summer Cultural Festival” organized by the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL). The workshop was led by trainer Anfal Al-Azmi that attracted participants interested in handicrafts and traditional arts. Al-Azmi explained that the “Nafash Needle” technique is a type of hand-weaving that involves inserting the needle into a piece of cotton fabric to create various designs and patterns.

She added that this technique is commonly used to decorate bags, carpets, and clothing, as well as to produce distinctive art pieces. Al-Azmi noted that while learning the craft is relatively easy, it requires some training to master the stitching properly. The workshop included hands-on practice with a simple sample to give participants their first practical experience. The “Summer Cultural Festival” serves as a platform to revive heritage and promote arts and handicrafts, and offer diverse cultural and artistic events suitable for all age groups. — KUNA

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025 SKUWAIT.COM .