Mulhimat opens new opportunities for Omani women entrepreneurs

Proposed with a focus to strengthen the capacity of Omani women entrepreneur, Mulhimat, is launching its second edition. A reestablished venture for the second year between Tawasul global connection centre and sponsored by BP Oman as part of its Social Investment Programme.

Through the 2nd edition, Mulhimat aims to enable further 25 women owned SMEs to operate efficiently and professionally. This comes in line with BP Oman’s commitment to empower Omani women. Registrations are now open until November 27, 2017 for women across Oman.

The launch event was held at the programme’s strategic partner, Riyada’s headquarters, the Public Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Development. This occasion witnessed the gathering of some of the previous Mulhimat’s first edition graduates, who shared their success stories and how this initiative helped them significantly improve their businesses, thereby, encouraging other Omani businesswomen to participate in the new edition of the programme.

“Given the success of the first edition of Mulhimat, and the feedback received from the ladies, we decided to sponsor this programme again. BP Oman believes that empowering women produces a positive effect on the growth of the economy and the advancement of the nation,” said Shamsa al Rawahi, BP Oman’s Social Investment Programme Officer.

The main objective of Mulhimat is not only imparting knowledge on how to run a business effectively but to assist Omani women entrepreneurs in enhancing their management abilities as well as sharpening their leadership skills. This in turn will give them a better professional standing in achieving their goals and enabling other women to actively participate in creation of a business ecosystem that provides equal opportunities to all. The five-month long capacity building programme will unfold in four phases: (gap analysis, capacity building, mentorship and knowledge sharing). Upgrading their management as well as leadership skills will motivate these women to be better employees, enabling them to inspire and support other women.

“After the success of the first edition of the programme and the achievement of the goals, we are pleased to continue Mulhimat for the second time to empower Omani women in the field of entrepreneurship. Our pursuit is to guide these businesswomen and inspire them to advance the pioneering work of entrepreneurship in the Sultanate. We believe that our support to these Omani women is a support for the whole community,” said Hazim Abdullah, CEO at Tawasul.

Over a long period of time, Tawasul global connection centre has devoted its efforts to empower civil society institutions through training and knowledge facilitated by domestic collaborations and support, presenting Oman as a leading country in the field of societal solidarity and partnerships between the public sector, private sector and civil society organisations.