Muscat: Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed al Mahrooqi, CEO of the Industrial Innovation Center, said that national policies to promote innovation in the Sultanate should be developed through the main inputs, which are the state institutions, human competencies, scientific research, infrastructure, market development, and investment development in particular.
He added that the Sultanate ranked in the 80th place globally, the 8th place in the Arab world and the 6th at the GCC level in the global innovation index issued in 2019. He added ,”It is a rank that does not match the capabilities of the Sultanate, which adopted the national innovation strategy, governed by a clear and ambitious vision to achieve the desired goal, which is to have the Sultanate in 2040 among the top 20 innovation leading countries in the world. “
This came during the second Ramadan evening organized by the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) last night, entitled "Innovation and its Role in Enhancing the Competitiveness of the National Economy."
On his turn, Dr Ali bin Saif al Harthy, Dean of the Higher College of Technology, said that innovation is the most important key factor in achieving competitiveness and gaining sustainable competitive advantage. He added that innovation is important to push economic progress, as data for one country indicate that industries related to innovation-based technology provide about a third of job opportunities and contribute more than a half of its gross domestic product.
To improve the Sultanate’s ranking in the global innovation index, Al Harthy stressed the need to focus on innovation inputs and enhance them, increase the level of cooperation between private sector establishments and educational institutions, and involve students in different educational stages.
Meanwhile, Dr Hilal bin Abdullah al Hinai, Chairman of Oman Industrialists Association, said during the evening that the association aims to overcome the challenges facing industrial investors, find solutions and present them to the competent authorities. He added that the association is working in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the OCCI Oman to develop the SMEs sector, as it is the main driver of the national economy.
For his turn, Youssef bin Ali al Harthy, CEO of Oman Technology Fund, confirmed that the fund, which was established in 2016 with a capital of USD 200 million, has invested in more than 120 projects in various sectors, the most important of which are agriculture, food, transportation, logistics, health, education, and the financial technology sector.
He said ,”The fund focused on launching a number of programmes, including an intensive program entitled "Women in the World of Technology", in line with the government's plans to empower women, activate the largest energies of society, pay attention to the issue of innovation in the governorates, as well as launching "Oman Innovates" programme, in addition to qualifying and empowering the Omani youth by sending five batches of these youngsters to display their innovations in various countries of the world.”
In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, Al Harthy stressed the Fund’s role in adopting several national initiatives to combat this pandemic, including the RO One Million Initiative for projects that enable young people to serve society and invest in a number of platforms aimed at addressing this pandemic. --ONA
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