21 entrepreneurs feted by Riyada in Oman

Muscat: Hosting its second annual celebration of Oman’s entrepreneurial success, Riyada, Public Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Development, held the closing ceremony for the second edition of the Entrepreneurship Award on Tuesday.
A total of 21 winners were honoured at the ceremony, having been divided into three main categories, including the Entrepreneurship Award, the Entrepreneurship Award for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), and Entrepreneurship Award for Supporting Organisations.
The ceremonial event was held under the patronage of H.E. Mohammed bin Al Zubair, Adviser for Economic Planning Affairs to His Majesty. The event saw a broad range of distinguished guests in attendance; including delegates from the State Council and Majlis Al Shura, as well as government officials and private sector leaders.
“Driving entrepreneurship in society, developing the performance of SMEs, and recognizing their success is an important element for driving competition within the Omani market. The government is highly committed to maximizing the spirit of local entrepreneurs, and therein the prosperity that we can achieve as a nation with SMEs as our economic foundation. Encouraging excellence and innovation has never been more important,” said Tariq bin Sulaiman Al Farsi, Chief Executive Officer of the Al Raffd Fund and Chairman of the Entrepreneurship Award Committee.
“With this being the second edition of the award, we took last year’s evaluative feedback and critically reviewed the initiative to enhance the award in achieving its aims. As a result we enriched the assessment process and increased the number of subcategories.”
He added, “This year the number of applications exceeded 400, originating from across the public and private sectors. By observing this rise on our inaugural event last year, it is clear that Oman’s entrepreneurial talent and those in support of it are now vying for a place on stage at the Entrepreneurship Award. The award continues to realize its vision of inspiring progress, as ‘being the best’ remains high on the agenda of SMEs’ across the Sultanate. This drive for achievement will further empower Oman to accomplish numerous milestones in the national agenda.”