Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
broken clouds
weather
OMAN
23°C / 23°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Zubair SEC launches 5th round of Direct Support Programme

1138397
1138397
minus
plus

MUSCAT, Oct 18 - To help young Omani entrepreneurs, Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC) launched the fifth round of its Direct Support Programme (DSP). The programme, which provides support and advisory to high-potential novice entrepreneurs and young business owners, was launched in 2013 by Zubair SEC, a social responsibility initiative of Zubair Corporation.


So far, 38 winners have been signed through the past four editions of the programme, while 10 more winning projects will be announced in February 2018 after a multiple-stage evaluation of the applications.


During the launch, Hussam Muhammad al Zubair, board member of Zubair Corporation, said, “The young Omani entrepreneurs deserve praise for their dedication in developing their projects and their continuous efforts to invest time and effort to secure a successful and sustainable foundation for their projects.”


He also congratulated the stakeholders for the success of investing in young Omanis who will serve our national economy through their projects.

The event was attended by executive management from various public and public sector organisations interested in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector as well as entrepreneurs and SME owners, and representatives from the media.


Since the establishment of the Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC) four years ago, an outstanding growth in the development of entrepreneurship was achieved alongside the support provided by a number of leading national institutions in the Sultanate.


“Entrepreneurship requires the right environment to flourish and achieve rapid development of business. Zubair SEC has diversified its initiatives to prioritise the requirements of small entrepreneurs. Today we renew our commitment to supporting entrepreneurs through the announcement of the fifth round of the Direct Support Programme,” Hussam said.


The centre also successfully secured a number of agreements in partnership with a leading national companies and institutions in the Sultanate to enhance and achieve the objective of continuous support and development of this important sector in the national economy.


“We are proud of these various partnerships which, we believe, forge an important cooperation and partnership under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos,” he added.


The speech was followed by a presentation on the DSP programme by a Zubair SEC team which deliberated on its selection criteria and process, and the progress it has witnessed in the past four rounds.


In his speech, Khalid Safi al Haraibi, Acting CEO of the Public Authority for the Development of SMEs (Riyada), highlighted the cooperation between Riyada and Zubair SEC and the joints goals in supporting SMEs.


Al Haraibi said, “As you are well aware, His Majesty the Sultan’s vision has been consistent in emphasising the importance in collaboration with the End Result of a prosperous and happy society. With this clear vision in mind, the cooperation agreement between Riyada & Zubair SEC, enacted more than three years ago, focused on the implementation of joint efforts in the four main lifecycle phases in the life of SMEs: Instilling entrepreneurship culture; starting up; powering up; and Growth & Excel.”

Nasser Said al Hajri, co-founder of Modern Nature World Company and winner of the Direct Support Programme of Zubair SEC in 2015, gave insights into the benefits he received from the cooperation between Zubair SEC and Oasis Logistics.


He said: “Such strategic partnerships between private sector organisations help scale up the impact of the programme and multiply the benefit that members receive. We are grateful for the support we received from Oasis Logistics and Zubair SEC teams in designing, implementing and advising how to progress with the new wholesale shop in Bidiyah. Their attentive care and support helped us face and handle challenges. We are privileged to have on our side such a distinguished calibre of expertise.”


The last date for submitting applications to enrol for the programme is November 23.


— Pictures by Khalfan al Toobi


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon