As many as 1,000 Omani youth will benefit from fisheries project the MoU which will be signed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, PDO and Al Rafd Fund and will be implemented next month.
Speaking to the Observer at the ‘Coffee Afternoon’ organised by Bank of Beirut, Dr Saud bin Hamoud al Habsi, Under-Secretary for Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, said that this project called ‘Modern Boats Programme’ will attract more youth to enter the fisheries sector and achieve their dreams.
“Modern Boats Programme is designed to enable Omani youth to secure employment and earn a steady income in life. It will also help bring them to the industry, train them and help them with funding and support to reach international markets”, Al Habsi said.
“This is in line with the national initiatives to encourage diversification of economy and to give other sectors like fisheries sector a big boost”, the official added.
Accordingly, the Phase I of the programme will see around 200 modern boats given to youth and after evaluating the project results, the ministry will expand the same to other areas as well.
“An MoU to this effect will be signed during the first week of November, and meanwhile we are in talks with the Ministry of Manpower to facilitate necessary training and development initiatives”, he added.
“This initiative is in tune with Sultanate’s national vision ‘Oman 2040’ and understands
Oman’s strength in the fisheries industry”, Elie Nakouzi, CEO, Bank of Beirut, said.
Dr Khalid Mansoor al Zadjali, CEO of Oman Fisheries Company, Nashwa Ali Mazroei, Quality Control and Marketing Manager, Ahmed al Mahruqi, Operations Manager, A H Georgiou, GM, Gulf of Oman Fishing International LLC, Rohinton, and Safa Khalid al Raisi, Bank of Beirut, were also present.
The meeting opined that while imparting technical knowledge and expertise needed for fisheries sector, efforts are on to inculcate the habit of saving and better knowhow of the market and their product positioning.
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