H E Qais bin Muhammad al Yousuf, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, with a number of officials in the ministry, will meet via virtual communication with industrialists, as part of the celebration of the Omani Industry Day on Tuesday. Omani Industry Day is celebrated every year on February 9.

The meeting will highlight the most prominent achievements of the Omani industry during the year and discuss the growth prospects in the industrial sector and its related areas. The ministry officials will also discuss the challenges facing the Omani industry and industrialists, and the ways to increase the industrial sector’s contribution to the sultanate’s GDP, a press statement said.

The celebration will also include announcing the factories that win the His Majesty the Sultan Award for Industrial Excellence, which aims to continuously develop the performance of all industrial processes efficiently and effectively in line with the current and future stage in terms of technological development.

The industrial sector in the sultanate witnessed rapid development over the past 50 years of the blessed Renaissance led by the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who emphasised his keenness in supporting the industrial sector through the establishment of industrial zones, supporting national products and emphasising the need to develop and encourage such products at the local and international levels.

Zahra bint Ali al Siyabiya, director of the department of industrial development at the ministry said that the ministry will continue to support the existing industrial establishments by facilitating the process of purchasing their products in cooperation with the relevant authorities, according to specific criteria, the most important element of which is their compliance with the specifications of the concerned authorities and the provision of the required quality. 

Zahra added that the ministry is studying new industrial investment opportunities and ways to attract investors. To achieve this, the ministry has been concerned with formulating the concept of local added value in Oman and discussing its implementation mechanisms, taking into account the adoption of best international practices in this field.

Eng Saeed bin Nasser al Rashdi, CEO of the Omani Industrialists Association, said that the Omani Industrialists Association, since its establishment, took the initiative to communicate with all relevant authorities in the industrial sector in order to coordinate efforts and integrate the sector. “There is no doubt that there are great challenges that need to be dealt with on an ongoing basis, and the association can be the desired link between the industrial sector and the bodies responsible for it,” he added.

Rashdi affirmed that manufacturing industries play an important role in providing long-term jobs for national workers, calling for the use of the services provided by the Oman Industrialists Association, whether in terms of technical or administrative consultations.