Date: April 23, 2019
Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC), represented by senior advisors and two members, participated in the second GCC Business Incubators and Accelerators Conference held in Bahrain recently. The conference was held under the patronage of His Excellency Zayed bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Business incubators, accelerators, and young entrepreneurs from across the GCC including Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain participated and presented their experiences at the conference. Palestine participated as a guest of honour at the conference.
In cooperation with the country’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Bahrain SMEs Development Society organised the conference to highlight the importance of support and resources that incubators and business accelerators provide start-ups to help launch successful businesses.
Last year, Zubair SEC along with its advisors and three members had participated in the first GCC Business Incubators and Accelerators Conference. Zubair SEC was extended a special invitation by the Bahraini conference organisers in recognition of the support the centre has been rendering to the development of the SME sector in Oman. Participating in the was an opportunity to share expertise and insight on the various entrepreneurial journeys.
Zubair members Hassan Ali Mohammed Al Lawati, founder of Rove Adventures and Zaima Saif Nasser Al Salami, founder of Grandma’s Mixes participated in the conference. Zaima, who specialises in herbal and henna products, is a winner of the Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Programme for the year 2017 and Hassan, who specialises in promoting tourism, is the winner of Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Programme for 2018.
Ali Shaker, business advisor at Zubair SEC, participated in a panel discussion on how to support incubators in Gulf and mechanisms of joint cooperation. Zaima participated in a discussion session on specialised incubators.
The conference highlighted the role that business incubators play in encouraging the development of Small and Medium Enterprises within the local community. The conference also aimed at discussing investment opportunities among entrepreneurs and encouraging them to establish strategic partnerships. Cooperation in research and studies in the development of this sector as well as laws and regulations related to entrepreneurship was discussed during the conference.
Ali Shaker said, “We along with two of the Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Programme winners took an active role at the conference, sharing insight of the progress achieved so far in the SME support ecosystem present in the Sultanate. We are pleased to have participated in this conference and grateful to Bahrain Small and Medium Enterprises Development Society for extending the invitation. We value this opportunity greatly as it was an important regional platform to voice what has been achieved so far in Oman. It was a platform for incubators to tap into their networks of experienced entrepreneurs additional gain management knowledge and operational assistance.”
Zaima Saif Nasser Al Salami said, “Participating in this conference was a great learning experience for me and I thank Zubair SEC for giving me the opportunity. It provided a blended learning environment with multiple opportunities to engage with a wide range of entrepreneurs and experts.”
Hassan Ali Mohammed Al Lawati said, “Zubair SEC has been supporting growth and boosting capability of SMEs in Oman. I am thankful to Zubair SEC for nominating to participate in this significant conference. It was a great opportunity to interact with young entrepreneurs from across the region.”
Zubair SEC, a social responsibility initiative of Z-Corp continues building solid business grounds and facilitating business development opportunities for all its members. Through Zubair SEC, its members have been getting better access to knowledge, innovation and understanding of the market.