By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: The fourth annual Kuwait's Achievers for Future Opportunities (KAFO) forum was launched on Sunday and continues till Dec 16, 2020. All activities of the forum are being held online via the Zoom app. This year, 100 personalities were chosen by KAFO to form 10 communities from various fields.

His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said KAFO was launched on the directives of late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and is supported by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. "It's one of the most important platforms supporting creativity and young achievers to be a reference for Kuwaiti youth that meets their ambitions and needs," he said during the launch ceremony. "Holding such forums is important for young people and a benefit to our country. It also creates strong human capital that is able to plan, develop and achieve Kuwait's 2035 vision," he added.

Dr Yousef Al-Ibrahim, Consultant at the Amiri Diwan and Head of the Supervising Committee of KAFO, said His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf is keen to support the youth, as he believes that young people are the true wealth of the nation, adding it's an honor to supervise this forum.

The four-day event includes various sessions on volunteering, sports, entrepreneurship, science and technology, media, arts and culture. On the first day, speakers from different fields participated in the sessions, including Dr Khaled Mahdi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, Dr Tareq Al-Sheikh, Representative of the Secretary General of United Nations in Kuwait, Shafeeq Al Sayed Omar, Representative of the Public Authority for Youth, Dr Bassam Al-Faili, Director of the Innovation Department at the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences, Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah and guests from the World Bank.

The first session of the forum was titled 'Public Policies Community' and included an awareness video on increasing the productivity of individuals. This was followed by a session on inspiring persons. The first day concluded with an acquaintance session between the attendees and community representatives to exchange knowledge and experience.

KAFO is one of the Kuwait Youth Program (Kuwait Listens) projects launched in 2013. KAFO is the first national platform to showcase achievers to ease the process of searching, connecting and collaborating with young achievers. Launched on the directives of late Amir Sheikh Sabah, KAFO is an initiative by the Amiri Diwan fulfilling one of the recommendations of the 2013 National Youth Project.

Objectives of KAFO are to establish and develop a database of young Kuwaiti achievers in different professions, academic careers and creative fields. It also aims to connect national achievers with organizations and other achievers, and showcasing youth and their projects to allow collaborative opportunities, along with building communities for knowledge transfer amongst nationals and residents to utilize their talents.