Delegation from AJBWC participates in Working Women’s Second Arab Forum in Oman

MUSCAT, 30th August, 2022 (WAM) — A delegation from the Ajman Business Women Council (AJBWC) participated in the activities of the second Arab Forum for Working Women under the theme of “Businesswomen’s Future in Digital Economies”, held over two days in the Governorate of Dhofar and organised by the Ministry of Labour in cooperation with the Arab Labour Organisation (ALO).

The delegation participating in the forum activities was headed by Dr. Amna Khalifa Al Ali, Board member of the Ajman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and Chairwoman of the AJBWC, Mona Saqr Al Matrooshi, Wafa Hassan Al Shamsi, Board members of the AJBWC, Abeer Eid Al Faraj, Director of the AJBWC’s Office, and Zamzam Al Shehhi, Senior Executive in the AJBWC.

Dr. Al Ali stressed the importance of the forum and its role in enhancing the contributions of Arab women in the private sector and the digital economy. The forum aims to monitor best practices and possibilities for developing training platforms for the digital economy, providing a platform to diversify channels of support directed to women, raising awareness of the importance of e-commerce, and increasing investment in digital and technological projects.

She stated that the AJBWC is keen to intensify its external participation within its strategic plan for increasing the means of support directed to the AJBWC members and entrepreneurs in general by reviewing best practices and upgrading the services, initiatives, and projects implemented by the AJBWC to enhance the quality of life and increase the levels of individual and family happiness through diversifying means of economic empowerment.

During the forum’s activities, Dr. Al Ali presented a working paper titled “Women Entrepreneurship in the Digital Economies”, as part of the theme of building the capacities of female entrepreneurs, under “Digital Education and Training”.

The AJBWC Chairperson stated that the economy is affected, in general, by many successive variables, including “continuous change, rapid development in all aspects of life due to the flow of knowledge, and successive recent discoveries and technology,” which directly affect the growth and development of micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

She pointed to the vital role of educational and training institutions and the need to keep pace with the requirements of economic sector developments and project development, by developing patterns and means of education and training methods, in addition to benefitting from the capabilities of information and communication technologies (ICT), qualifying students for the modern requirements, developing technical skills through the activation of the e-learning applications, and the development of the training cadres professionally and technically.

Dr. Al Ali enumerated the advantages of e-training platforms, including flexibility and the possibility of breaking the barrier of geographical distance and saving time and resources. During the presentation, she also referred to the relationship between entrepreneurship and modern technologies in the success of projects and business growth and sustainability.

She added, “The COVID-19 pandemic had a major role in transforming national and institutional innovation strategies and accelerating the reliance on modern technologies.” She praised the efforts of many UAE institutions in supporting the trend towards using technology and digital technology in all sectors, especially the economic sector, and enhancing the benefit of entrepreneurs from this orientation.

At the conclusion of the working paper, she recommended the need to educate and encourage women to take advantage of the investment opportunities available in the digital economy and to motivate business women councils and women institutions to engage in organising digital projects while developing academic programmes and scientific and training specialisations on e-commerce and digital projects in universities and scientific and training institutes to prepare a generation of women and girls able to innovate, transfer knowledge, and invest in the projects that rely on taking advantage of modern technologies.