Oman at the Center of Global Supply Chains” Logo of Oman Industry Day

Every year on February 9th, Oman Industry Day is observed by the Sultanate of Oman through the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion.

The slogan of this year is “Oman at the Center of Global Supply Chains.”. It reflects the Royal interest attached to this sector due to its vital role in enhancing diversification and spurring economic growth

Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion, as well as a few undersecretaries, attended the ceremony, which was sponsored by HH Sayyid Dr. Fahad bin Al Julanda Al Said, Vice Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). A number of officials and businessmen in the industrial sector and Omani companies also attended the ceremony.

Dr. Saleh bin Said Masan, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion for Commerce and Industry, said that the latest data issued by the National Center for Statistics and Information (NCSI) indicate an increase in the output of the converting sector by 8.5 percent to reach RO 2.686 billion by the end of September 2024 at constant prices compared to the same period in 2023.

In his speech, he stated that the Sultanate of Oman’s ranking of third in the Arab world and 53rd globally in the United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s (UNIDO) Global Competitive Industrial Performance Report reflects the acceleration of industrial competitiveness capabilities over the past few years.

He noted that 100 new industrial projects totaling almost RO 1.5 billion in investment have been signed. These projects are in the fields of renewable energy, food and medicine, air conditioning equipment, building and construction, metals and plastics, and a number of industrial, economic, and free zones.

He affirmed that the industrial sector has managed to achieve the targets of the Industrial Strategy 2040 during 2022 and 2023, as RO 3.44 billion was set as a target contribution for transforming industries to the GDP for the year 2022. The contribution of this sector witnessed a growth of 19 percent between 2020 and 2023, reflecting the continuous progress towards achieving the goals of the strategy, thanks to the joint cooperation between the public and private sectors, he added. The industrial sector also provided about 26,000 job opportunities for Omanis since 2020, achieving a growth rate of 79 percent compared to 2020, reflecting its prominent role in supporting the national workforce, said Dr. Saleh.

Dr. Saleh noted that the Sultanate of Oman’s industrial performance improved, as seen by the notable increase in non-oil commodity exports, which reached approximately RO 7.5 billion by the end of 2023 from RO 3.4 billion by the end of 2020.

The Sultanate of Oman’s industrial sector has enormous prospects for expansion, sustainability, and private sector empowerment, according to Faisal bin Abdullah Al Rowas, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI).

He pointed out that the OCCI supports the empowerment of the private sector by anticipating challenges and attracting investments, in addition to empowering the Omani product and raising its competitiveness in local and foreign markets.

During the ceremony, three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were inked.

The first one, which was inked with Singapore’s International Center for Industrial Transformation, focuses on assisting and motivating enterprises to implement Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies. While the third MoU announced a strategic cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the second MoU, signed with the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting, relates to offering consultations to develop a center for advanced automation.

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion launched, during the ceremony, the service of obtaining the national product identity certificate within the Made in Oman platform. It aims to promote Omani industries and highlight national products.

The advanced automation center was also launched, which aims to develop industrial capabilities to transform Omani industries into leading factories in digital transformation. A program to qualify certified assessors using the Siri methodology was also launched to ensure that assessments are conducted accurately and professionally by training assessors on the latest methods and tools necessary to assess the readiness of facilities for industrial transformation.

The ceremony also saw the announcement of the Certificate Verification Program (Professional Accreditation), which provides a reliable service to companies to facilitate the process of verifying academic and professional documents. The Ministry also launched the Industrial Sector Enablers Guide, with the aim of enabling partners to identify the opportunities available in the industrial sector in the Sultanate of Oman and how to utilize them.

In the meantime, Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Al Qasmi, Head of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion’s Local Content Office, evaluated the industry’s accomplishments and contributions in the Sultanate of Oman through a graphic presentation.

Dr. Ahmed bin Khalfan Al Badawi, Director of the Industrial Strategy Implementation and Evaluation Department at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, also gave a visual presentation on the Industrial Observatory and its aspirations.

Anfal Zaher Al Afani, Head of Markets and Trade Facilitation Department at Oman Logistics Center, gave a visual presentation on supply chain improvement methodologies and how to use connectivity and integration to improve the supply chain to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

During the ceremony, a dialogue session was held on supply chains and their importance with the participation of a number of specialists from the public and private sectors.

Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, held a dialogue session with the Omani industrialists. The session addressed means of enhancing local content and focused on the importance of strengthening supply chains in the industrial sector.

They exchanged views on the challenges and opportunities available to Omani companies. It also highlighted how to enhance cooperation among various stakeholders to support sustainable growth in the sector.

Gerd Muller, Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), lauded the Sultanate of Oman’s pioneering role in the field of sustainable manufacturing.

He pointed out that these efforts reflect Oman’s keenness to promote economic and social development in line with the organization’s mandate, affirming that Oman has proven its ability to take serious steps towards developing a sustainable industrial sector, making it a role model to be emulated in the region.

On his turn, Jesmond Hong, Chief Operating Officer of the International Center for Industrial Transformation, said that the center looks forward to strengthening cooperation with the Sultanate of Oman to drive industrial transformation and enable the manufacturing sector to achieve a prosperous future.

The center is a non-profit and independent organization that aims to promote manufacturing transformation through collaboration with the public and private sectors.