London: Oman is pitching its position as a competitive investment destination and highlighting various opportunities in priority economic sectors at a GCC-UK investment dialogue in London.
Oman is represented by Invest in Oman at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) and the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (Sezad) at a strategic dialogue between the United Kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
The event is organised by The Business Year in the British capital, London, under the auspices of the GCC General Secretariat, with the participation of senior government officials, decision-makers, investors and leaders of economic institutions and global companies.
The dialogue session brought together around 350 government officials, leaders of financial and investment institutions and major companies, to discuss the future of Gulf-British economic relations. It also seeks to explore opportunities for cooperation in the trade, investment, energy, technology, innovation, financial services, and infrastructure sectors, and promote long-term economic partnerships between the two sides.
Haitham bin Salem Al Salmi, CEO of MSX said that participation in the strategic dialogue represents an important opportunity to enhance cooperation between the Gulf and British capital markets, and to exchange experiences and expertise in developing financial markets, which contributes to expanding the investor base and strengthening international investment flows.
He pointed to the importance of benefiting from international experiences and expertise in developing the infrastructure of financial markets, and enhancing liquidity levels and market depth. He pointed out that expanding communication channels with global financial and investment institutions contributes to introducing the opportunities available in the Omani market, and supports its openness to new segments of investors.
He further said that the MSX seeks to enhance its presence in international financial markets, develop strategic partnerships with global financial and investment institutions. It also seeks to explore cooperation opportunities, and facilitate international investors’ access to the Omani market, thereby enhancing the attractiveness and competitiveness of the Muscat Stock Exchange and supporting economic diversification efforts and achieving the goals of Oman Vision 2040.
Speaking at the session Engineer Ahmed bin Akak, CEO of Sezad said that the zone’s participation comes within the framework of the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones’ efforts to enhance the presence of Omani economic zones in international forums, contribute to expanding the horizons of economic and investment cooperation between the GCC countries and the United Kingdom. It will also help to introduce promising investment opportunities provided by the Sultanate of Oman, in a way that supports economic diversification and achieves the objectives of Oman Vision 2040.
He explained that his participation as a speaker in the dialogue provided an opportunity to highlight the economic and investment transformations taking place in Sezad and its competitive advantages that qualify it to be a regional center for advanced industries, logistics, and clean energy.
He pointed out that Duqm represents a model of the opportunities that can arise from the integration of the economic assets of the GCC countries and British industrial and technological expertise, benefiting from its strategic location on the Arabian Sea, and the infrastructure system and major projects that it hosts.
Engineer Nasser bin Khalifa Al Kindi, CEO of Invest in Oman reviewed the competitive advantages and strengths of the Sultanate of Oman, the investment opportunities available in the targeted sectors, and the Ministry’s efforts in developing the investment system, simplifying procedures and enhancing the efficiency of services provided to investors.
He stressed that participation in this international economic forum is an extension of the efforts of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion to enhance the investment presence of the Sultanate of Oman in global markets. He particularly noted that these participations aim to transform direct communication with investors and economic institutions into practical partnerships and quality investment projects that achieve added value for the national economy.
He said that the ministry adopts an integrated approach to investment promotion, based on identifying and developing promising investment opportunities according to the requirements of the target markets, enhancing communication with global companies and financial and investment institutions, in addition to integration with governmental and private entities to facilitate the investor's journey and expedite procedures related to investment projects.
He added that Invest in Oman plays a pivotal role as a unified window for promoting investment opportunities and providing services to investors, stressing that the Ministry continues its efforts to improve the business environment by simplifying procedures, developing digital services, and enhancing the efficiency of the legislative and regulatory system, thereby raising the competitiveness of the Sultanate of Oman and enhancing investor confidence.