Omanis urged to tap self-employment scheme

Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, Minister of National Economy, has urged young Omanis to make the best use of the Sanad Fund, a self-employment scheme introduced recently to boost Omanisation.

In a statement after launching the logo of the fund following approval by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, he said the government was committed to improving the lot of citizens and there was no better way than removing the joblessness among the local population.

"Omanisation remains our top priority and we are leaving no stone unturned to ensure its success."

Underlining the importance of the fund, he said it would go a long way in helping young citizens to set up their own small enterprises to become not only self-sufficient but also become a source of livelihood for the entire family.

"Nothing like being self-employed. To mark the occasion, he announced 500,000 Rials for a supplementary project called the Livelihood Fund to meet the social needs of the citizens.

Also present at the ceremony at the Higher Technical College were number of ministers and other senior officials.

Sanad Fund was launched late last year during the meet-the-people tour of Sultan Qaboos along with the National Manpower Employment Forum in the wake of the Omani monarch's address to the joint house of parliament, urging the private sector to open its doors to jobless Omanis as "the nations are built by the hands of citizens."

The forum has since come out with a strategic plan to boost Omanisation and in the process reduce dependence on expatriates who form more than one fourth of the 2 million population, according to the 1993 census.

Efforts are on to give top executive positions to Omanis in the private sector, considering that expatriate bosses are rather reluctant to recruit citizens. More than 20 new jobs are being set aside exclusively to add to the list initiated about four years ago.

Companies excelling in Omanisation are duly rewarded, while the Tender Board has been asked to keep Omanisation in view while awarding a contract.

In another major view, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour was bifurcated recently and a Ministry of Manpower created under Jumabin Ali bin Juma, former chairman of the Tender Board, in order to pay undivided attention to the development of human resources. Vocational training institutes have also been streamlined and re-activated.

Also full attention is paid to the fact that the replacement of expatriates should not be at the cost of quality. "We don't want to impair quality", Juma bin Ali has said.

Sanad Fund also made its presence felt during last week's third Gulf Higher Education Exhibition (Ghedex) in which universities and colleges from Europe, East Asia and Australia took part along with GCC and Arab countries.