The Middle East

Leveraging the country’s strategic position adjacent to one of the world’s major seaborne trade routes, the government has identified Oman’s transport and logistics sector as a priority area with considerable potential for growth. To capitalise on that promise, public authorities are in the midst of a multi-billion-rial investment programme...

In common with many of its regional peers, Oman’s current economic strategy is focused on achieving high-value-added growth, characterised by capital-intensive production methods, advanced technology, and scientific research and development. Yet rather than increasing capital intensity, recent IMF statistics appear to show that the economies...

For over two decades Oman’s industrial sector has been a key plank in the government’s economic diversification strategy. During that time efforts have been focused on improving the physical and regulatory infrastructure necessary to attract investment and secure growth, and the results at flagship estates such as Rusayl and Sohar have been...

In addition to the three major port and free zone complexes at Sohar, Duqm and Salalah, a handful of industrial estates and zones are also operating around the sultanate. Aimed at diversifying industry and boosting incomes in governorates beyond the capital regions, these facilities also face some of the same challenges as the larger zones....