- Representatives of the Omani SME sector attended the event and learnt how technology contributes to their business’ growth
Muscat – Oman, 22 May 2016 – The Public Authority for SMEs Development (Riyada) and Microsoft Oman concluded a workshop aimed to introduce the Omani SME sector to the latest technology innovations and their role in providing Small- to Medium-sized companies with tools to increase their productivity and efficiency and boost their competitiveness.
The event came as part of the recently signed MoU by Riyada and Microsoft Oman with the aim to empower Omani startups and SMEs through technology.
Riyada’s Chief Executive Officer, Khalifa bin Said Al Abri said: “We are thrilled to see so many Small to Medium enterprises and entrepreneurs attending the workshop and showing interest in exploring new technologies to boost their businesses and take the SME sector in Oman to the next level. Al Abri added: “we would like to thank the leading technology company Microsoft Oman for joining us in this partnership and for their initiative in contributing to provide the Omani SMEs sector with the best technology practices along with the required skills sets to grow their business.” He reiterated Riyada’s commitment to supporting the Omani SMEs and entrepreneurs, a sector that is playing a crucial role in the Sultanate’s national economy.
An array of experts from Microsoft and its local and regional partners delivered presentations tackling different topics such as ‘Leverage the Power of the Cloud’, ‘Productivity toolkit for SMEs’ and ‘Employability for SMEs’. The attending SMEs also had a chance to pitch their businesses’ portfolios to Microsoft and other major participating companies in the aim to explore ‘Partnership Opportunities’.
“We are pleased to host such events in Oman and introduce the SME sector to technology tools to boost their businesses,” said Sherif Tawfik, Country General Manager for Microsoft Oman and Bahrain. “We at Microsoft have a long-standing commitment to SMEs through our support to the Oman National Plan and GCC policies aimed to empower and position SMEs as engines of future economic growth, by leveraging innovative cloud offerings.” Tawfik commended the efforts of Riyada in creating a nurturing entrepreneurial business environment in Oman and expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the MoU’s implementation plan.
As a part of the workshop, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), Oman Broadband Company (OBC), Omantel, and Ooredoo Oman represented some of contracts and procurement opportunities. These opportunities come as part of series that aim at boosting awarding not less than 10% of contracts to SMEs by major entities.
Participants in the Riyada & Microsoft ‘Empower Omani SMEs through technology’ workshop experienced the latest collaboration solutions, Cloud computing offerings and much more.
