MUSCAT, OCT 25
Omani women entrepreneurs need to translate widening business opportunities into sustainable enterprises, while social initiatives must demonstrate measurable results to secure lasting support, HH Sayyida Hujaija bint Jaifer al Said said during a discussion in Muscat.
Speaking at Startup Grind Muscat’s special Omani Women’s Day, she highlighted initiative, partnerships and financial sustainability as foundations for building businesses and community organisations.
HH Sayyida Hujaija said women should take an active role in identifying challenges, developing solutions and creating opportunities, drawing on the access to education, entrepreneurship and leadership built through Oman’s development.
The discussion also highlighted the need for focus as entrepreneurs navigate a growing range of support programmes, networks and initiatives. Selecting opportunities that serve clear business objectives was presented as an important part of turning participation into ownership.
For social enterprises, the challenge extends beyond launching programmes to showing how those programmes improve people’s lives.
Drawing on her experience with the Association for the Welfare of Handicapped Children, HH Sayyida Hujaija emphasised the importance of demonstrating tangible changes in beneficiaries’ circumstances to help sustain the confidence of partners and supporters.
The association’s work includes vocational rehabilitation, occupational therapy and physiotherapy — services requiring resources and institutional commitment over many years.
The discussion distinguished between the scale of an organisation’s activities and their impact. Numbers of participants, events or partnerships can indicate reach, but changes in beneficiaries’ circumstances provide a clearer measure of results.
Financial resilience was another central theme, with participants discussing endowments and revenue-generating assets as possible sources of more consistent income alongside donations, sponsorships and fundraising.
Such approaches could help organisations support services over time, although the discussion outlined no specific funding commitments or projects.
HH Sayyida Hujaija also encouraged women entrepreneurs to explore opportunities across the GCC and internationally, highlighting the role of relationships in accessing knowledge, resources and new markets.
Examples from fashion and consumer products illustrated the potential for Omani businesses to reach customers beyond the domestic market. Her involvement in Oman–Bahrain business cooperation provided further context for the discussion on regional commercial ties.
Expanding abroad, however, requires an understanding of customers, consistent product quality and partnerships that support growth.
For organisations working with limited resources, collaboration can also provide capabilities that would be difficult to develop independently.
The gathering brought together entrepreneurs, professionals and community representatives to discuss how leadership can translate into durable commercial and social outcomes.
Organised by Startup Grind Muscat in collaboration with Kaleem Café, the event was supported by Khimji Ramdas as official gifting partner.
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