Shell to help Omanis to launch own businesses

Muscat: Shell is focusing on revamping Intilaaqah project in order to meet the growing needs of Omani entrepreneurs, in its Gift to the Nation initiative. The revamped Shell Intilaaqah will help entrepreneurs launch their own business, and in turn contribute to Oman’s 2020 Vision.
Shell is also focusing on expanding its current entrepreneur support services to cover business start-ups and alumni support. Shell has announced its fifth Gift to The Nation under the auspices of Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, minister of foreign affairs, at a ceremony in Muscat.
Oman was the first country to launch the Shell Intilaaqah programme in the Middle East in 1995. Till date, more than 10,000 Omani female and male entrepreneurs have graduated from the programme.
An official said that through Intilaaqah in Oman, over 1,600 businesses have been created and 30 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) financed, where 900 employment positions have been sustained, 32 per cent of which are Omanis.
“Shell’s Gift to the Nation is a tribute to the long standing relationship Oman has with Shell. We hope that the full potential of the two announced initiatives are going to be utilised in the coming 5 years and we look forward to more sustainable and rewarding initiatives,” Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, minister of foreign affairs, said.
This year, and in line with Shell’s ongoing commitment to foster the development of the SME sector and to promote energy sustainability and educational awareness, Shell announced it will launch a project to install use solar energy into a select number of Grade 10-12 secondary schools across Oman.
As part of the Gift to the Nation, Shell also announced it will launch a project to install use solar energy into a select number of Grade 10-12 secondary schools across Oman.
Inaugurating the event, Chris Breeze, Shell’s Country chairman in Oman said that the solar power into schools project will be a first of its kind project for Oman. It will show how solar energy can help supplement existing electricity demand which currently is largely generated from either diesel or gas. By using Omani contractors to help install the solar installations we also help contribute to Oman’s energy and economy transition, by helping build a platform for development and implementation of small-scale solar projects in Oman. By putting these installations into public schools we also help boost interest in science, technology, innovation & entrepreneurship for Omani youth and awareness in Oman’s future energy transition.”
It may be recalled that, in 2010, Shell’s Gift to the Nation saw the migration of Intilaaqah and Intilaaqah Enterprise Fund into a single programme under the brand name Shell Intilaaqah — offering a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs to gain financial support for their businesses and benefit from other development services and consultancy.
Gift to the Nation is a tradition initiated by Shell in 1995 — the 25th anniversary of Oman’s Renaissance, to launch every 5 years, a new project that carries a small further contribution to the development of Oman’s society and economy