17 new initiatives launched by BP’s Social Investment Programme to support innovative projects in Oman

MUSCAT: Seventeen new initiatives were unveiled by BP Oman as it launched the latest round of its Social Investment Programme (SIP) at a special ceremony at the Children’s Public Library in Muscat on October 7.

His Excellency Eng. Salim Al Aufi, Undersecretary of Ministry of Oil and Gas, the event’s guest of honour, celebrated the launch event and wished the Omani partner organisations success in their initiatives.

This 2019/20 season of the SIP is the sixth year of its existence and awards grants to 10 Omani organisations. The delivery of all the initiatives is managed by Destination Sustainability. The range of innovative projects aim to contribute to the government’s strategic priorities around education, employment and economic development.

Khazzan gas field

Job seekers, students and local businesses are the main beneficiaries of BP’s social investment– both in communities close to the Khazzan gas field and more widely across the country. The new initiatives focus on building interests, skills and confidence among these target groups - and this year cover a range of subjects from literacy to business finance, robotics to job application techniques.

BP Oman President, Yousuf Al Ojaili said: “We are delighted to announce our new SIP programme for 2019/20 and welcome our partners in delivering what is an innovative range of initiatives. The BP SIP is now in its sixth year and goes from strength to strength in helping build the foundations for a prosperous future for our country. The BP SIP differs from other social schemes due to the involvement of locallybased implementation partners, alignment with national priorities and an insistence on continuous improvement.This means we can be confident of delivering outstanding, tailored initiatives which meet the needs of the country and society and which deliver better and better results, year on year.”

Digital technology

Nine of the projects will deliver against the strategic Education priority in the BP SIP in 2019/20. There is a particular focus on those areas that will be needed in Oman’s economy – such as digital technology and engineering – as well as developing broader skills such as leadership, teamwork and literacy, helping the young to secure better employment opportunities in the future.

Initiatives that align with the employment strategic priority aim to help young Omani job seekers as they plan to enter the workplace, by helping them to build their confidence, marketability and employment skills. The 2019/20 BP SIP programme comprises two such initiatives covering broader skills building and specific sector training. This builds on existing initiatives in this field already under implementation across the country.

While the six initiatives supporting Economic Developmentin 2019/20 have the aim of helping start-up businesses in Oman, by providing training in a range of business planning and financial areas. This should help the business environment for smaller businesses to flourish – an essential driver in the future prosperity of Oman.

The BP SIP programme began back in 2014 and over 55,000 people and 150+ SMEs are estimated to have benefitted directly so far from the 70+ initiatives that have taken place.