The Middle East

From 206 BCE to 220 CE, China’s Han dynasty fostered a booming trade industry for silk, a precious commodity in high demand among the elites of the Mediterranean. The Silk Road was the name given to the network of trade routes connecting the East and West at the time. Later, spices and other precious cargo would be traded using the system,...

With manufacturing identified as one of the priority sectors under Oman’s Industrial Strategy 2040, the government is seeking to reduce reliance on imports by increasing domestic production of construction materials such as cement, steel and aluminium. To this end, the National Programme for Enhancing Economic Diversification, or Tanfeedh, is...

After several years of slower growth, Oman’s construction sector looks set to bounce back as the government continues investment in infrastructure, tourism, housing and energy extraction. Strong private sector activity in the retail market is also creating a promising pipeline of construction work on shopping malls and other commercial...

The downstream segment is rapidly growing its refining and petrochemicals capacity, while plans are under way to bring gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology to Oman for the first time. As a backdrop to these developments, the integration of the Oman Oil Company (OOC) and the Oman Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (ORPIC) into the newly...

A combination of factors, including climate change, rising energy demands and limited hydrocarbons resources, have driven Oman’s renewable energy agenda in recent years. Although renewables were estimated to have made up less than 1% of the country’s electricity mix in 2018, the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) aims to roll out...