Tamakkun Programme empowers Omani youth and SMEs

MUSCAT, DEC 17
The third edition of the Tamakkun Programme for Independent Freelancing has concluded, demonstrating the fruits of the labour made by the members through their unity and innovation in providing support to Omani youth. The programme is initiated by the Oman Youth Centre and is a move towards a greater plan of promoting youth as a source for innovation and a means to develop the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SMEs) sector according to Oman Vision 2040.
Alia bint Saeed al Shanfariay, Chief Executive Officer of the Oman Youth Centre, said, “This programme is one of the strategies of the Youth Centre, aiming to empower and develop the competencies of the young generation in many different sectors”.
She stated: “This programme aims for the participants to convert their competencies into productive projects; actually, more than 265 youths have participated in this programme, where 50 of them joined the final round and were able to accumulate total revenue over RO 32,000'.
The programme was implemented in partnership with more than five SMEs, as well as eight medium enterprise owners, freelancers and productive families, to stress the Youth Centre’s commitment to making the greatest social and economic impact.
Khamis bin Naser al Shuaibi, Director General of Shared Services at Oman Oil Marketing Company, emphasised innovation in development. “Innovation is not an expense but rather an essential tool in building opportunities, creating value and building national competitiveness”, Al Shuaibi stated.
Al Shuaibi defined Tamakkun as “a real-world example” that fills “the gap between innovation and marketplace, talent and sustainability, ambition and access to appropriate tools” because “it provides skills in innovative thinking, projects and business development” so projects “can be nurtured and grown into mature business models with high scalability'.
'The influence of Tamakkun is apparent in the success stories of its participants, including Nasira al Maskari, Flower Coordinator and proprietor of Zahra Flora. She revealed that the project changed her life by allowing her to acquire marketing and sales expertise she had been lacking while also offering her the opportunity to display her professional portfolio to more people. 'The training sessions helped me improve much and I learnt to effectively display my portfolio on social networks', she stated.
Similarly, Jasim al Habsi, the Founder and CEO of Floostech, also highlighted the impact of the programme on his personal desire to achieve the financial wellbeing of all, when he remarked: “The intensive training with experts in sales, marketing and project management has been invaluable to me and my aim is to leverage the experience to impact positively'.
The Tamakkun Programme is one of the initiatives that embody the overall aims and goals of Oman Vision 2040 and its focus on encouraging and supporting SMEs as catalysts of economy and innovation. Through equipping young individuals with innovation and knowledge, it not only encourages innovation but also provides a firm base for their economy. With the likes of Tamakkun, Oman is making sure that ambition is balanced by ability, imagination is coupled with expertise and that new innovators can translate their concepts into successful businesses that will help shape the social and economic landscape of the country.