The local community development companies are one of the most important experiences in social responsibility not only in the Sultanate or the region, but also around the world.
Norway was the first to have this experience in the area due to its principles and values of social responsibility in its deepest and most comprehensive sense. In Oman, this was started under the directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos with the participation of local communities from the oil exploration areas.
They benefit from these activities through participation and active contribution to them. In line with these directives, support or grants for these local companies and their owners increased.
Their participation started in the form of establishment of closed contribution companies of the people of areas that were awarded contracts from oil companies, subcontractors in the areas of drilling, maintenance, construction and other field works.
These companies work parallel to other major companies competing with them for tenders without any support. It started after a ministerial committee contributed to the establishment of companies comprising local citizens and create job opportunities for the local citizens.
If we objectively look at what this experience has done on the ground in the last few years for community development, we will find significant achievements. There are huge prospects for the development of personal skills of the local community by learning from the experiences of others.
There are opportunities to lead their own companies and enter a long, open and unlimited horizon for growth and development. Sky is the limit. There are no boundaries for success.
It is the local community which, by learning from the experiences of others, join hands locally and move the wheel of development forward. This development is reflected in the form of creation of jobs, leading to prosperity and well-being. This is what has been achieved under the wise leadership of His Majesty the Sultan through franchise companies.
If the five ‘Super Supreme’ companies are an addition to the success, it is time to further empower them through a tightly knit work system which is periodically reviewed by a specialised technical committee to contribute to their further success and protect this experience with the passage of time.
A properly organised and close-knit system can ensure more achievements. This is important because this is an experience rooted in the rural areas of Oman. It did not come from glitter of the cities as happens in many cases of social projects.
These companies have the highest level of the sense of social responsibility considering the rural people are usually deprived of such initiatives.
These companies have proved if there is a wise leadership, as this country enjoys, and there are proper directives and will, such franchise companies can do wonders for social development.
We hope efforts will continue to be made to strengthen these companies and maintain their success, and open more horizons for them to unleash their activities without any interruption to achieve more in this important social sector.
This will help in the achievement of economic stability of families and individuals. This achievement will have a positive impact on society and will reflect in the form of comprehensive development projects to come in this glorious era. We have to remain confident and continue to work hard to reach the ultimate objective.
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