All Countries and All Sectors

Efforts to deepen the penetration of information and communications technology (ICT) in everyday life in Oman are gathering pace, with state-backed investments targeting improved and faster access to advanced applications. The government has been stepping up spending on ICT as part of its policy – formally launched in 2002 – of providing the private sector with the tools to expand and diversify as well as putting in place a state e-infrastructure to improve services provision to the public and promote the development of a knowledge-based economy.

Underpinned by rising tourist arrivals and heating demand in the local economy, Dubai’s retail sector appears set to enter a period of solid growth. A recent study conducted by market research company RNOCS said that a strong tourism sector, combined with rising consumer confidence and soaring domestic consumption, would fuel growth in the retail sector across the UAE, with Dubai having become the focus of retail construction developments in the country.

While South Africa’s mining sector is currently benefitting handsomely from high commodity prices and increasing production, strikes and a debate over nationalism threaten to slow growth ahead.

With live cattle exports from Australia to Indonesia resumed and plans for banking investment and a free trade deal in the works, burgeoning economic ties between the neighboring countries seem back on track.

During his first official visit to the UK this month, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak showcased his country as a profitable destination for foreign investment by companies – especially those in the UK, which already have strong historical and business ties with Malaysia.

The Kingdom’s banks are moving toward the second half of 2011 in a strong position, but their ongoing conservative positions have triggered criticism. Saudi Arabia’s financial institutions are cashed up with healthy levels of liquidity, operating in a secure and growing economy, and have shown new earnings and investment potential. Despite this, there have been calls for the Kingdom’s lenders to be more active in advancing credit, after two years of building up reserves.