Salalah to host forum on social investment

SALALAH: The Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) will organise the 'Social Investment and Sustainable Development 2026' forum in Salalah from August 30 to 31.
The opening ceremony will be held under the auspices of HH Sayyid Marwan bin Turki al Said, Governor of Dhofar.
The forum will serve as a national platform for dialogue, integration and partnership-building, seeking to promote social investment as a sustainable pathway for investment and development. It aims to transform social, economic and environmental challenges into viable, scalable and measurable investment opportunities and initiatives with lasting developmental impact.
The two-day forum will focus on shifting social investment from short-term initiatives towards sustainable and impactful investment models. It will bring together government institutions, the private sector, investors, civil society organisations and social entrepreneurs to exchange expertise, build partnerships and develop practical, feasible and measurable initiatives.
It will also highlight successful national experiences and models and explore ways to channel resources and funding into projects that generate financial returns while delivering social, economic and environmental benefits, in line with the objectives of Oman Vision 2040 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The forum will address four main strategic areas: empowerment and integration, partnerships and stimulation, capacity-building and knowledge and innovative financing.
The empowerment and integration track will examine ways to create an enabling environment for social investment and strengthen its role within the national investment and development ecosystem.
The partnerships and stimulation track will explore mechanisms for connecting social investors with high-impact projects and initiatives, while the capacity-building and knowledge track will focus on developing expertise, knowledge and national databases covering successful initiatives and experiences.
The innovative financing track will examine sustainable social financing tools and mechanisms, including developmental endowments, to strengthen project sustainability and expand their impact.
An accompanying exhibition will showcase pioneering social investment initiatives and projects, presenting practical models of how social, economic and environmental challenges can be transformed into investment opportunities with measurable and sustainable outcomes.
The exhibition will also provide social entrepreneurs and emerging talents with an opportunity to present their products, ideas and innovations and connect with institutions, investors and potential partners, helping transform promising concepts into viable and sustainable projects. — ONA