Social innovation conference opens in Salalah

Oman Thursday 21/August/2025 19:59 PM
By: ONA
Social innovation conference opens in Salalah

Salalah: A social innovation conference was organized today in the city of Salalah by Al Roya newspaper in cooperation with the Regional Network for Social Responsibility.

The opening ceremony was held under the auspices of HH Sayyid Marwan Turki Al Said, Governor of Dhofar.

Hatim Hamad Al Taie, Editor-in-Chief of Al Roya newspaper, gave a speech in which he addressed the importance of ethical responsibility in the use of artificial intelligence (AI). In his speech, he laid emphasis on striking a balance between innovation and protection of privacy, ensuring the fair use of data and implementing principles of transparency.

Al Taie also called on companies to adopt models of responsible use of AI as part of their social responsibility strategies.

The speech was followed by the conference statement delivered by Dr. Youssef Abdel Ghaffar, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Regional Network for Social Responsibility.

Dr. Youssef stressed the importance of adopting national policies that support social innovation, building partnerships between the private sector and youth and providing digital platforms to showcase emerging social solutions, enhancing training and empowering young leaders.

He outlined the experience of Nama company in the Sultanate of Oman, which launched 150 innovative social projects over three years.

He also spoke about an initiative named "Feena Khair" in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that benefited more than 500,000 students, as part of a drive to promote volunteering and active citizenship.

Mohammed Bakhit Al Shahri, a representative of Dhofar branch of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), highlighted Oman Vision 2040 which, he said, makes innovation a pillar of sustainable knowledge economy.

Al Shahri stressed the importance of supporting entrepreneurs and innovators and linking promising ideas with investment opportunities through strategic partnerships.

For his part, Eng. Hamid Abdullah Al Abdali, General Manager of supply chains at Oman Broadband Company, spoke about the company's contributions to self-employment and training of jobseekers on fibre-optic connectivity.

Al Abdali pointed out that the company’s initiatives included launching a new programme to support local added value for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with total spending worth about RO 36 million.

The conference discussed three main topics. The first was titled "Arab Youth: From initiatives to entrepreneurship and social innovation". The second topic focused on empowering youth to engage in social innovation and the third topic dealt with the role of establishments and institutions in empowering youth to engage in social innovation.

The conference also included 8 working papers, a number of presentations, a panel discussion and three training workshops titled: “Using AI in innovation to enhance community projects"; "Using inspiration economy to empower youth to address social challenges" and "Designing innovative community initiatives."

--- Ends/Bishara/AG