Pact signed to support SMEs in scaling up their operations

Muscat: Oman Post Asyad Express, a member of Asyad Group and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority, the entrepreneurial growth promoter in the Sultanate, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in scaling up their operations locally and internationally.

The agreement will see six Omani SMEs and four startups and join ‘Tomooh’, the first of-of-its-kind business incubator programme that helps expand Omani SMEs in new and emerging sectors, from e-commerce to operations and logistics. Participants will produce disruptive solutions that have the potential to transform the landscape of e-commerce in Oman

The ‘Tomooh’ programme is part of Oman Post Asyad Express’ sustainability agenda that aims to enhance the business ecosystem, creating growth opportunities for Omani SMEs. The agreement will contribute to enhancing cooperation and partnership to achieve common objectives, especially in areas related to supporting entrepreneurship and activating the participation of SMEs in the logistics and e-commerce sectors. The authority will provide training programmes and facilitate the financing procedures for projects benefiting from the incubator ‘Tomooh’ of Asyad Express under the Fund’s terms and conditions.

Halima bint Rashid Al Zaria, Chairperson of Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority, said, “Our support to ‘Tomooh’ stems from the fact that it is a niche incubator program that will help create the right infrastructure and opportunities for SMEs, helping them navigate the e-commerce and logistics sectors. The programme will not only allow these startups to grow and expand their customer base, but it will also contribute to the national efforts to stimulate and promote leadership in business.”

Nasser Al Sharji, Acting CEO of Oman Post Asyad Express said, “‘Tomooh’ is a promising incubator program that identified e-commerce as a key sector of growth for SMEs. Our aim is to provide technical assistance, capacity development and knowledge transfer to up-and-coming successful enterprises that are looking to prioritise logistics value chains and leverage opportunities in e-commerce. After all, we want to support Omani enterprises to be able to build market-ready and viable products, services, and solutions for their customer base.”

Once the 10 SMEs and startups are selected, the ‘Tomooh’ programme will organise training sessions on business development and promote networking as well as knowledge sharing between its members, experts, and other Omani startups. Building local and international partnerships will also be part of the upcoming stages of the incubation process enabling participants to gradually expand their operations and remain competitive.