Businesswomen Participate in MEPI Conference

U.S. Embassy Muscat - The U.S. Embassy is sponsoring the attendance of ten Omani women at the Women in Business Conference being held in Muscat on March 15 and 16, 2008.  With funding from the U.S. State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiative, the Embassy is cooperating with the Middle East and North Africa MENA Businesswomen's Network and the Vital Voices Global Partnership to make these scholarships possible.

"It is a pleasure to recognize the excellence and entrepreneurship of Omani women, and especially of these deserving recipients, by offering these scholarships," said Ambassador Gary A. Grappo.  "We are proud to play our part in promoting the role of women in the workplace, in business, and in the world."

The MENA Businesswomen's Network is a partnership among local businesswomen's organizations across the Middle East and North Africa, the Vital Voices Global Partnership, and the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) of the U.S. Department of State. The Network's goal is to build bring businesswomen in the together in order to expand the number of women in business, to increase the value of their businesses, to advance the role of women in society, and to promote a regional culture of women's entrepreneurship.

The 2008 Women in Business Conference, under the patronage of H.H. Sayyida Aliya Bint Thuwaini Al Said, will feature leading local and international speakers, informing and inspiring the next generation of Omani businesswomen.

Working in partnership with other U.S. Government elements, with private program facilitators, and with Omani public and private partners, the U.S. Embassy in Muscat supports a range of programs reflecting the deep historic, diplomatic, and economic ties between the United States and the Sultanate.