Oman Economic Forum to open on Wednesday

Muscat: Fifth edition of Oman Economic Forum will start on Wednesday at Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Muscat under the theme ‘Oman: a Bridge between Asia and GCC.’
The opening ceremony of the forum will be held under the patronage of Dr Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, minister of commerce and industry.
The forum is organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in conjunction with Al Iktissad Wal-Aamal Group, the State General Reserve Fund (SGRF), the Central Bank of Oman (CBO) and Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CBO).
The forum’s programme will tackle a range of topics including Oman’s economic outlook, Oman’s role as a bridge between Asia and the GCC, the key investment opportunities in the Sultanate, the investment prospects in Iran, the main factors attracting investments and the enhancement of entrepreneurship through small and medium enterprises.
It aims to support the development goals of the government and in particular the objective of promoting the Sultanate position as a station for international trade and the movement of multimodal transport between continents, as well as a hub for attracting international investments by providing the best environment attractive to them.
The forum will include seven working sessions as the first session will be on Oman's Economic Outlook through future vision for Oman's economy, assessing oil prices trends and adapting to the new reality, major achievements in the economic diversification strategy, Elements and objectives of the ninth five-year plan.
The speakers of the first session are Dr Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, minister of commerce and industry; Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, minister of transport and communications; Sultan bin Salim AI Habsi, secretary general of the Supreme Council for Planning; and Yahya bin Said Al Jabri, chairman of the Special Economic Zone Authority of Duqm (Sezad).
Keynote speeches will be delivered during this session by Eng. Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, Iranian Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade, Qian Keming, Vice Minister of Commerce, China and Miki Yamada, Japanese Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs.