Veolia, Terra Academia, and Bahrain Banking and Financial Studies launch “Terra Academia Bahrain”

Heba Mohsen

Veolia, Terra Academia International – TAI, and the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) revealed during a press conference the launch of “Terra Academia Bahrain”, the leading institution specialized in environmental transformation, industrial innovation and sustainability.

The conference was held at the headquarters of the Institute of Banking and Financial Studies in the presence of the Minister of Education, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Higher Education Council, Dr. Mohammed Juma, President of the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance and Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain, Khaled Humaidan, Ambassador of the French Republic to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Eric Giraud-Tillemy, and President of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bahrain, Jean-Christophe.

The establishment of “Terra Academia Bahrain” aims to establish an international center of excellence in the fields of environmental transformation, industrial innovation, and developing future skills.

The initiative seeks to establish the first university dedicated to environmental transformation in the Middle East, to be a regional platform for talent, knowledge and sustainable growth, with a goal of qualifying 5,000 students and professionals by 2030.

Those in charge of the “Green University for the Middle East” project revealed the features of the first green university in the region, which aims to establish an educational institution fully specialized in the fields of environmental transformation and sustainability.

This project is being conducted in cooperation with the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF), where academic programs will be designed and implemented in partnership with it, followed by the establishment of an independent campus in later stages.

The first phase of the project begins with an executive program specialized in environmental transformation, followed by the launch of a master’s program in waste management. The new program targets workers in various sectors and new students alike.

Through these programs, the university seeks to build an integrated culture around the challenges of environmental transformation, with a focus on combining a comprehensive scientific vision with applied understanding.

Through Terra Academia Bahrain, Veolia will work to link academic training with job opportunities, benefiting from its technical and field expertise, and will also provide practical training and apprenticeship programs at its locations in Bahrain and the region.

Veolia CEO Estelle Brashlyanov said: “This initiative reflects our belief that education, skills development, and creating local job opportunities in the environmental sector are essential pillars for achieving sustainable growth in the Middle East region.

Through Terra Academia, we contribute to building the talent, innovations and solutions needed to accelerate the environmental transformation in the region.”

Terra Academia President Jean-Michel Blanquer said: “The launch of Terra Academia Bahrain represents a confirmation of our conviction that education constitutes one of the most important levers of environmental transformation and the promotion of economic resilience and long-term stability.

By bringing together government, academic, financial and industrial sectors, Terra Academia Bahrain was designed to be a platform that connects knowledge with realistic solutions, and local talent with global challenges.”

The President of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bahrain, Jean-Christophe Durand, also pointed out the importance of the current partnership between Terra Academia and BIBF, as this partnership represents a clear harmony in vision and goals. He stressed that the Chamber is not just a representative of the French sector, but also supports Bahraini companies that deal with France.

He explained that the role of the Chamber is not limited to financing, but rather works as a link to strengthen economic ties between France and Bahrain, noting that the Chamber seeks to link Bahraini institutions with their French counterparts and facilitate the entry of French companies into the Bahraini market by opening the necessary channels of cooperation and supporting current projects.

This project represents an important step towards promoting environmental education and sustainable transformation in the region, emphasizing the importance of strong partnerships between academic and economic institutions. The speakers emphasized that this university is not just a traditional educational institution that adds environmental curricula, but rather an entity fully dedicated to green transformation, aiming to bring together academic and economic institutions to meet the needs of the new world.

The university’s educational philosophy is based on three main axes: first, building a strong scientific base for understanding environmental challenges; Secondly, linking the scientific and economic aspects, especially the financial aspects. Third, creating an effective bridge between academic excellence and market needs.

They also stressed the importance of cooperation between the academic and industrial sectors, to ensure that students graduate with practical experience, not just theoretical knowledge.