Forum discusses challenges facing woman entrepreneurs

Salalah: Sessions of Working Women’s Second Arab Forum, organised by the Ministry of Labour in cooperation with the Arab Labour Organisation (ALO), kicked off on Sunday under the theme of ‘Businesswomen’s Future in Digital Economies’.

The two-day forum was opened under the auspices of HH Sayyid Marwan Turki Al Said, Governor of Dhofar, and attended by Dr. Mahad Said Ba’owain, Minister of Labour, and Dr. Laila Ahmed Al Najjar, Minister of Social Development.

Sheikh Nasr Al Hosni, Labour Undersecretary said in a speech on the occasion that the Sultanate of Oman made good progress in labour affairs through a set of economic, educational and training strategies that placed human being at the centre of development.

The visions helped develop an educational and training system linked to the labour market needs.

Meanwhile, Solaf Hussain, Secretary General of the Arab Working Woman Affairs’ Committee, said that the forum seeks to address the challenges facing woman entrepreneurs in digital economy scenarios.

The forum discussed ways to draft special training programmes for working women, with emphasis on digital technology and the exchange of expertise on how to furnish the right environment for woman entrepreneurs.

Faiz Ali Al Mutairi, ALO Secretary General, said that the forum is being held at a time when technology emerged as a prime mover of sustainable development.

He added that coronavirus underscored the use of technology as an efficient instrument to address lockdowns worldwide.

The pandemic, he explained, imposed a new reality for working women, enabling them to operate from home and optimise their energy.

The opening ceremony included a visual display about the role of the ALO in supporting working women, besides celebrating working women’s contribution to social and economic development.

In its first day, the forum included two sessions.

The first outlined the institutional and legal frameworks of entrepreneurship, and the second discussed means of honing the skills of woman entrepreneurs through education and digital training.