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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Renewable energy to boost new wave of SMEs in Oman

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MUSCAT, NOV 11 - “Oman will see a new wave of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) — growth driven by opportunities coming from renewable energy development,” according to Firas al Abduwani, the founder and CEO of Hussam Technology Company (HTC), a speaker during last week’s Caribou Chats, a monthly gathering by Startup Oman, the country’s only platform created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. The other speaker was Bilal Sarwar, founder and creative director of IFactory. The event was moderated by Walaa Hamdan, the general manager of Startup Oman.


“The government helps Omani SMEs to grow their business to its full potential and build national capability to deliver small scale renewable projects in Oman. That is why the small-scale solar industry (particularly rooftop) projects are given to SMEs, hence now the right time for Omanis to venture into that field,” Al Abduwani said. “Although very few Omanis have exposure and training in renewable energy, soon we will see the rise of entrepreneurs and experts in this area,” he added.


Al Abduwani’s company, HTC, was awarded Shell’s ‘Solar into Schools’ initiative to install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in two public schools in Buraimi and Salalah. The initiative is part of Shell’s ‘Gift to the Nation’ campaign in which Shell committed to train small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and contract them to install solar panels at 22 schools across all governorates of the Sultanate in the coming years.


HCT is a leading ICT solutions company — consulting, designing, integrating, deploying and managing solutions in the Middle East region. The company delivers solutions covering a wide range of verticals including telecommunications, oil and gas, finance and real estate.


“SMEs can fill the gap needed to develop the thriving renewable energy sector in Oman. We, as Omanis, should match the objectives of the government, not only to provide jobs and employment but also to create a better and sustainable environment for the future generation. If your vision is aligned with the government’s agenda, opportunities for businesses open easier,” Al Abduwani stated.


Al Abduwani envisions renewable energy as the future of energy supply in the country. “Solar energy is a cleaner and better alternative to fuel energy. The power generated by solar energy is immense. Oman has an excellent potential for solar energy development. We as SMEs in renewable energy should tap that potential and develop it,” Al Abduwani concluded.


JOMAR MENDOZA


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