Oman’s National Program for Enhancing Economic Diversification (Tanfeedh) has released their 2017 Handbook, which many of the participants find welcoming and optimistic.

The document, which is more than 132 pages long, is currently available in only Arabic, but an English version is also underway. 

Logistics lab participant Mohamed Al Mashani, general manager of the Salalah Port, spent six weeks working on the lab.

Covers everything

“I think the book covers everything about the labs, and in a way it looks more attractive to the reader. Tanfeedh actually accelerates any project that was shelved. It helps dealing with obstacles.”

“Those who have participated in the labs have this eagerness to see things differently. This is something the public wants to see happen; we are actually pressured by the public. This (programme) is different, it is a game changer for Oman,” Al Mashani said.

He added that one of the most important aspects of the logistics sector is the improving ease of doing business for investors.

“I think it’s important to make sure we are able to simplify the procedures, where all entities can come together like a one-stop shop. As an investor, it’s not easy to do business in Oman because we have so many different entities, but with Bayan and the one-stop shop, that will attract more investors coming to Oman,” Al Mashani said.

Shahswar Al Balushi, chief executive officer of the Oman Society of Contractors and the man who led the labour market lab, stated that a lot of work has been done behind the scenes.

“From the time the labs have ended their work and as we stand today, there has been a lot of work done to put together the framework that was needed to implement the different initiatives in Tanfeedh. Whether it was related to tourism or manufacturing, there was a lot of work that was needed in terms of legislation, ministerial decisions, and Royal Decrees and so on.”

Optimistic

“I’m quite optimistic that we are going to be seeing some changes, and those changes are significant. It’s an evolving process, which is the other part of the optimism that I have. In looking at the condition of the market today, we need those changes, all of them. I am optimistic that those changes will come.

“They may be experiencing a little bit of a delay because of starting something new and changing mindsets. Trying to channel everyone together and make them work together in a coherent methodology, it requires a lot of work and time.

“But I am very optimistic,” Al Balushi said.

Tanfeedh’s purpose is to achieve the Sultanate’s vision through diversifying the economy and by working through the challenges that the government

and private sectors face in achieving the ninth Five-Year Development Plan.

The ninth Five-Year Development Plan includes different sectors. The September 18 to October 26, 2016 phase of Tanfeedh focused on the following sectors: tourism, manufacturing, logistics, as well as two supporting sectors: the manpower and employment sector and the finance sector.

This phase included holding intensive workshops with the participation of the government and private sectors concerned with economic diversification, as well as academic institutions and bodies, civil society institutions, and youth. The handbook presents the results of the Tanfeedh programme and what was achieved during the workshops that took place in 2016.

However, the percentages in the graphs reflect the figures for 2015 and earlier. Some of the projects approved in the handbook have not yet been confirmed by private investors and work is ongoing to contract with potential investors.

According to the handbook, workshop results are not final, but the methodology used ensures continued development and updates by the same participants who reached these findings, and to periodically revise updates to ensure that the community is informed about the latest developments and results of the programme.

The figure announced for the number of initiatives and projects is 121, which were merged into 74 major umbrella projects that are presented in the handbook.

Source: Timesofoman