Entrepreneurs told to give biz a digital push

The Third Arab Entrepreneurs Forum has sought to enhance the digital capabilities to boost businesses, investment opportunities and market products.

The forum participants laid emphasis on greater cooperation among the Arab countries and to benefit from each other’s strength.

The forum exhorted Arab business leaders to open channels for more interaction with the entrepreneurs to reduce youths’ dependence on jobs.

The forum opened at Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex for Culture and Entertainment on Tuesday under the auspices of Sulaiman bin Hamoud al Busaidi, Deputy Secretary-general of the Council of Ministers.

The three-day event has 500 participants from Oman, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Libya, Denmark, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco and Malaysia.

Hajija bint Jafer al Saeed, Guest of Honor of the Arab Forum, and Sheikha Jawaher bint Khalifa al Khalifa, Member of the Board of Trustees of the World Youth Business Club, are participating as special invitees.

Amna Khadem al Awadi, Chairperson of the Organising Committee and General Supervisor of the forum, said the forum aims at increasing the level of awareness for digital economy in general and giving more exposure to entrepreneurs on the overall e-commerce skills.

Amna said that all the participating countries will benefit from the forum but being the host, the Sultanate has a special advantage of promoting Salalah’s tourism potential.

“This is a good time to review the Sultanate’s business potential and market, its commodity and service products through international networks at home and abroad, and to review the legal and regulatory frameworks that contribute to enhancing its competitiveness and increasing the access of the Sultanate’s exports to the world markets.”

The Honorary President of the forum called it a great platform for all kinds of entrepreneurs.

Sheikha Jawaher al Khalifa endorsed the venue and said, “Everyone wants to come to Salalah during the Khareef season. The Arab Entrepreneur’s Forum gives us a big reason to be here and discuss something fruitful for the entrepreneurs.

“We are living in the world of technology. It has proved a boon for businesses. It is up to us how much benefit we can get out of it. We are living in a smart age. This is the time of artificial intelligence. This is our pressing need and we should adopt it as soon as possible,” she said.

She cited a report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which suggested that the value of e-commerce reached $22.4 trillion dollars between companies, while the volume of electronic commerce between companies and consumers is $2.9 trillion annually due to the investments by international companies, which contributed hugely to electronic commerce.