Suhar – Suhar Investment Forum 2026 officially commenced on Wednesday under the patronage of H E Qais bin Mohammed al Yousef, Chairman of the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ).

The forum is organised by the North Batinah Branch of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) and attended by a number of dignitaries from the public and private sectors, as well as participants from more than 30 countries. The event is being held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Suhar.

On the first day, the forum witnessed the signing of several agreements and memoranda of understanding across multiple sectors, totalling five agreements with a combined investment value exceeding RO12mn.

The first agreement is a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the OCCI North Batinah Branch and Jindal Steel Oman to enhance investment and downstream industries in the iron and steel sector. The MoU aims to promote investment in the steel industry and attract investors to establish value-added industries based on steel products and by-products, with an estimated investment value of RO4mn.

The second agreement involves the establishment of an industrial project under the Ladayn Plastics Industries Programme between OQ Group and Aurum Polymer Solutions. The project will develop an industrial facility in Al Ohi Industrial City in Suhar, with an investment value of RO1.115mn. OQ Group will supply the project with raw materials of up to 8,000 tonnes annually at full capacity.

The third agreement covers the establishment of a food manufacturing plant between Suhar Industrial City and Al Baraka Food & Investment Company, with an investment value of RO4mn.

The fourth agreement involves the establishment of a metal processing plant between Suhar Industrial City and Al Rahma Metal Industries Company, valued at RO3mn. The fifth agreement is for the establishment of a waste recycling plant between Suhar Industrial City and Clear Earth Recycling, with an investment value of RO500,000.

The Suhar Investment Forum featured a number of keynote speeches. H E Ibtisam bint Ahmed al Farooji, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion for Investment Promotion, delivered the main keynote address. She highlighted the importance of enhancing the competitiveness of Oman’s investment environment and the government’s efforts to develop legislation and incentive frameworks that support the attraction of high-quality investments.

H E Ibtisam emphasised the pivotal role played by economic and industrial zones in achieving economic diversification targets. She noted that the next phase will focus on facilitating investor procedures, accelerating digital transformation in services, and strengthening public–private partnerships, thereby creating sustainable investment opportunities, increasing value added to the national economy, and reinforcing Oman’s position as a regionally attractive hub for business and investment.

H E Saleh bin Hamad al Sharqi, Secretary-General of the Federation of GCC Chambers, also delivered a speech emphasising the importance of Gulf economic integration and the role of the private sector in deepening trade and investment partnerships among GCC countries.

He noted that the current phase requires enhanced institutional cooperation and unified efforts to create a more open and competitive business environment.

© Apex Press and Publishing Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).