His Royal Highness Prince Amr bin Mohammed Al Faisal Al Saud, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ithmaar Bank, met with His Excellency Dr Saad bin Saud Al Fuhaid, President of the Arabian Gulf University (AGU), to discuss avenues for strengthening cooperation between the two institutions in academic and developmental fields.

During the meeting, both sides reviewed potential partnership opportunities and discussed joint initiatives that contribute to supporting innovation and education in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This includes the bank’s support for the International Forum on Developing University Education Programmes in Arab Countries in Light of Future Skills and Professions, organised by AGU in partnership with the UNESCO Regional Centre for Quality and Excellence in Education (RCQE). The forum will be held from December 2 to 3, 2025, and will address mechanisms and forward-looking visions for developing university education and keeping pace with future transformations in the GCC and the wider Arab region.

HRH Prince Amr bin Mohammed Al Faisal expressed his admiration for AGU’s achievements, academic standards and the development of its programmes and pioneering projects, including the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Medical City project. He described the University as “a highly successful model of Gulf unity, and a living example of leading GCC initiatives that have sustained their strength and academic progress to earn distinguished regional and international recognition”. 

He further affirmed Ithmaar Bank’s commitment to supporting academic institutions and contributing to human capital development, praising AGU’s leading role in preparing future leaders, advancing scientific research and achieving advanced positions in global university rankings.

For his part, HE Dr Saad Al Fuhaid highlighted that AGU enjoys the generous support of Their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of the GCC statesm, and is home to eight scientific chairs that the University is proud of. He emphasised AGU’s commitment, as a model regional Gulf university, to addressing strategic issues in GCC countries across various sectors, including health, education, management, human development, the environment, science and technology. He also noted that AGU harnesses all its academic resources, advisory and training expertise to serve the strategic objectives of the GCC states.

At the conclusion of the meeting, HE Dr Al Fuhaid expressed his appreciation for Ithmaar Bank’s efforts in supporting sustainable development and social responsibility, stressing the importance of collaboration with the banking sector to develop specialised academic and professional programmes that contribute to community service and strengthen the national economy.

The visit programme featured a documentary showcasing the stages of AGU’s establishment in 1980, as well as presentations on the University’s innovative and specialised academic programmes offered at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. It also highlighted the latest developments in the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Medical City project. 

HRH Prince Amr bin Mohammed Al Faisal and his accompanying delegation were also briefed on the evolution of medical education at AGU’s Simulation and Medical Skills Centre, which provides an advanced and safe learning environment that mirrors real-life settings and is equipped with state-of-the-art simulators and cutting-edge medical technologies.