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A combination of food security concerns and a focus on economic diversification have made agriculture and fisheries an area of priority government investment in recent years. Agricultural self-sufficiency continues to grow in the sultanate. Despite the irrigation challenges presented by limited rainfall and decreasing ground reserves, 2019 will see food production receive a significant boost with...

Almost three years into its ninth five-year plan for 2016-20, Oman is beginning to reap the rewards of efforts to restructure and expand its transport and logistics sector. The Central Bank of Oman’s latest annual report notes that transport, storage and communications is one of the economy’s best performing categories, with the growth rate reaching 9.6% in 2017. The sector’s expansion is being...

Mining in Oman is poised for growth in line with economic diversification plans, and the sector has distinct advantages over other developing markets. The country has some of the richest and most diverse mineral deposits in the world, ranging from gold and copper to potash, gypsum, chromite and limestone. Despite this, Oman’s mineral wealth remains largely uncovered. The sultanate holds a...

As Oman’s economy starts to feel the effect of resurgent oil prices, its gradually recovering property market is creating brand new opportunities for both tenants and property buyers. Although a growing number of departing expatriates, rising Omani unemployment rates and limited salary increases have limited the property market’s potential since the decline in oil prices starting in 2014, the...

With the utilities sector continuing its long-term shift towards privatisation, these are changing times for power, water and waste in the sultanate. The year ahead will see further private sector participation in the country’s electricity transmission and distribution networks, while new desalination projects will also come on-line. Oman is keen to secure greater international involvement in...

As the second-largest driver of non-hydrocarbons growth and the sector that employs the greatest number of people, construction plays a key role in the development of Oman’s economy. While 2017 proved to be a difficult year for the industry, forecasts suggest a return to growth in 2018 and 2019 on the back of higher oil prices and a government-supported diversification plan. For domestic...