The Middle East

Many large construction projects in Oman are developed under public-private partnerships (PPPs), whereby a state-linked institution joins forces with a private company or multinational to carry out a project in the common interest.

Faced with public investment cutbacks and a broad economic slowdown in the wake of lower oil prices, Oman’s construction sector continues to grow at a brisk pace, bolstered by state-led diversification efforts, high income levels and relatively low labour costs. The building industry grew by a robust 10.4% in 2016, up markedly on the two...

Domestic output of both steel and cement has recorded a substantial rise amid recent price pressures, suggesting the supply of building materials will continue reliably at cost-effective levels as the country looks to clear a large infrastructure project pipeline on a tighter budget. With regional demand set to continue growing – by as much as...

Located in the south-eastern quarter of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman is the only member of the GCC situated outside of the Gulf. Leveraging its strategic location, Oman has invested in infrastructure with the goal of becoming a global logistics centre. While the country is less hydrocarbons-rich than its GCC neighbours, diversification efforts...

Oman’s oil output fell by 3.7% year-on-year (y-o-y) in the first 10 months of 2017, with production averaging 970,000 barrels per day (bpd), down from 1m bpd in the same period of 2016. However, an improvement in average prices saw oil earnings rise by 32%, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information.

The utilities industry in Oman is going through a transitional period in anticipation of major restructuring and renewal plans in the water and electricity sectors. While large-scale retail competition in electricity is not yet feasible, changes in technology – like the introduction of cost-reflective tariffs (CRT) – are making distributed...