Ruwad first publication focused on entrepreneurs

Recently, United Press & Publishing, the publisher of Alam Aliktisaad Wala'mal signed an agreement with Intilaaqah, the social investment programme of Shell, and Sharakah, owned and operated by the Fund for the Development of Youth Projects, to launch Ruwad. Intilaaqah and Sharakah are the founding partners of Ruwad.

To be launched in the first week of May this year, Ruwad will be the first and only publication targeted at the small and medium enterprises. It will be a bilingual (in Arabic and English) publication dedicated to the information needs of start-up small and medium businesses. It will provide information on the latest industry statistics, opportunities in the market and relevant business trends. It will also provide matchmaking opportunities by bringing young entrepreneurs and industry experts on a common platform to share information and identify business opportunities. Overall, the editorial strategy will be to provide pertinent content to make a meaningful contribution in the growth of entrepreneurial culture in Oman.

Talking about Ruwad, Hani M. Al Zubair, chairman of Sharakah Fund for the Development of Youth Projects, said, "I take this opportunity to wish 'Ruwad' every success! I hope that this medium can achieve its goal in becoming a conduit between the service providers and its target audience. It should act as a reference point for young entrepreneurs and the SMEs as to what is available to them in terms of support. This can be in the form of financial assistance, advice or just hand holding. This segment is the backbone of most modern economies, and it's time that it gets the attention it deserves in Oman."

Andy Wood, Shell Country Chairman and General Manager of Shell Development Oman, said:

"Ruwad is a publication specifically targeted towards entrepreneurship and enterprise empowerment and that fits very well with two of our social investment initiatives -Intilaaqah and the Intilaaqah Enterprise Fund managed by GroFin. We very much believe that this will be a pioneering medium for finding information about relevant entrepreneurship issues, showcasing successful stories and sharing best practices. The initiative comes as one of the fruits of long term relations between the Fund for Development of Youth Projects (Sharakah) and Shell represented by the Intilaaqah programme."

Adding further, Sandeep Sehgal, CEO of United Media Services said, "The SME segment has a huge potential for growth in Oman. With a sizeable young population, Oman can look forward to a significant contribution from small to medium sized entrepreneurs in the economic diversification drive in the coming years. Ruwad is an endeavour to inculcate and promote entrepreneurship spirit among the Omani youth."