Khazzan Project for SME Development concludes

Muscat: Under the auspicious of Talal Al Rahbi, deputy secretary general of the Supreme Council for Planning, a ceremony was held to celebrate the conclusion of the Khazzan Project for SME Development for 2017.
The programme is sponsored by BP Oman as part of its Social Investment Programme and is executed by Sharakah. The ceremony was attended by Hani M. Al Zubair, Sharakah’s chairman and Eng. Yousuf Al Ojaili, BP Oman President.
Twenty-four SMEs participated in the project representing various sectors mostly related to manufacturing. The SMEs underwent a thorough business analysis process to identify areas for improvement and received a handholding consultancy services for a period of 12 months.
Shabib Al Mamari, Communications and External Affairs manager said, “We are delighted to see that the project has achieved its objectives which are benefiting SMEs from different governorates according to their needs. We do believe in the importance of supporting entrepreneurs towards the social economic development and this is one of BP Oman’s Social Investment Programme pillars.”
More than 420 SMEs applied for the programme. The application and selection process was conducted online and preference was given to SMEs who were committed to improve their business performance and scale up.
Ahmed Al Ajmi, the founder of Thuriya Biz presented a brief about his business and highlighted what he gained from the project saying: “My business was amongst the businesses that were accepted to enrol in this year’s programme. I have learned a great deal about the importance of having a clear administrative and governance structure in my business. As an immediate result, I have ensured that all my operating licenses are updated, I have a clear cash flow forecast for the coming year, I have implemented a marketing plan and I have started investing in some policies and administrative guidelines. The grant I received from BP has also helped me to expand the operations.”
Sulaiman Al-Mahrizi, deputy general manager for Development delivered a speech where he praised the dedication Sharakah witnessed from the SMEs to improve their performance, he further added “as we conclude this year’s project, I am delighted to announce that we are already receiving inquiries for next year’s project. The online application form will be open as of today. SMEs who qualify to be part of the project can register at http://bp.sharakah.om. Moreover, we will be delivering a series of workshops named Calculate It Right. The objective of the workshop is to help SMEs and those who are planning to establish a business arrive at accurate figures for their sales assumptions. Indeed, we appreciate the trust given by BP Oman and we look forward to serving more local SMEs.”