Cablegate: Expanding Mepi's Reach: Sba and Omani Ministry of Commerce

VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMS #0117 0560231
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250231Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1277
INFO GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000117

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON KMPI MU
SUBJECT: EXPANDING MEPI'S REACH: SBA AND OMANI MINISTRY OF COMMERCE
AND INDUSTRY SIGN MOU

1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Building on President's Obama's Cairo speech,
which recognized the need to promote entrepreneurism in the Middle
East, the Small Business Administration (SBA), through the Middle
East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), will partner with Oman's Small
and Medium Enterprise Directorate, a department within the Ministry
of Commerce and Industry, to foster small business creation. On
February 16, the two organizations solidified their partnership
through a Memorandum of Understanding which was followed by
agreement on a detailed action plan. Through the partnership SBA
will provide technical assistance to the SME Directorate in several
areas, including finance and government procurement. END SUMMARY.

2. (SBU) MEPI and the SBA designed a program to reach out to female
entrepreneurs in the region. As part of that program, the SBA
approached Oman to gauge its interest in partnering in order to
reach out to the burgeoning ranks of potential Omani entrepreneurs.
SBA representatives met with the Small and Medium Enterprise
Directorate within the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to discuss
the Directorate's present capacity to provide assistance to
entrepreneurs. The SBA representatives immediately identified that
while the Directorate had a great desire to carry out the mission
it was tasked with - fostering SME development - it did not have
the necessary tools to succeed. The Directorate's positive response
to the SBA's offer of technical assistance was immediate and
overwhelming.

3. (SBU) The culmination of the groundwork for cooperation came on
February 16, when SBA Associate Administrator Penny Pickett, and
Minister of Commerce and Industry Maqbool bin Sultan, signed an MOU
too cooperate in providing technical assistance to the Directorate.
Prior to the signing ceremony, Pickett had a half hour long
meeting with Maqbool, in which he shed his typical reserve, asking
Pickett and other members of the SBA team detailed questions about
the MOU. The signing ceremony served as a highlight to a SME
Conference and workshop hosted in Muscat on February 16 and 17.
Approximately 300 individuals attended the event, which was widely
covered by the local media.

4. (SBU) COMMENT: The Omani government is increasingly recognizing
the need to provide meaningful empowerment and career opportunities
to the country's large youth cohort as it transitions from school
to the workforce. As opposed to the Omanization requirements,
wherein private businesses must keep a quota of Omanis on their
payrolls and many Omanis are paid a fee to lend their names to such
registers, encouraging the development of Omani SMEs is a
sustainable way to spur business development. The recent MOU
between the SBA and the SME Directorate will enhance the
Directorate's role in promoting business development. END COMMENT.
Schmierer

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