Events

OCIPED to participate in the Qatar International Business Women

The Directorate General of Investment Promotion of The Omani Centre for Investment Promotion and Export Development (OCIPED) participated at the Qatar International Business Women Forum which is held in Doha on May 10-11, 2010 at the Sheraton Doha resort & convention hotel and organized by the Qatari Businesswomen Forum in cooperation with Al Iktissad Wal Aamal group.

Eng. Nisreen Ahmed Jaffar, General Director of Investment Promotion was selected to participate as a speaker in the panel discussion on “Role of Women in Business and Investment: A Comparison between the Arab World and the West” during the Qatar International Business Women Forum which aims to strengthen the network of relationships between businesswomen and open windows of new investment.

The Qatar International Business Women Forum attracted a wide participation from the Gulf, Arab and North African countries, as well as from Europe and the US, including businesswomen and entrepreneurs, in addition to women from social, educational and human institutions. All those concerned by women's issues attended the forum side by side with elite businesswomen from around the world.

OCIPED organized the “Business-to-Business Summit between Sultanate of Oman and Pittsburgh City”

The Business to Business Summit between Sultanate of Oman and Pittsburgh City held on April 11th 2010 at Al-Bustan Palace, Muscat. The summit was a forum to showcase an exclusive delegation comprising of the leading companies of Pittsburgh deals in the field of renewable energy, green technology, health care, research and higher education.

Organized by the Omani Center for Investment Promotion & Export Development (OCIPED), Ministry of Foreign affairs and Oman Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Forum witnessed unprecedented attendance of 28 participants representing 15 leading companies in Pittsburgh and 67 local participants from different business sectors. Specialized business-to-business meetings were arranged to allow both American and Omani companies to meet on an individual basis, network with key executives and explore businesses practices and prospects.
A Presentation was made on Oman economy and investment opportunities in the sultanate by Eng. Nisreen Ahmed Jaffar, Director General of Investment Promotion. The seminar provided an excellent platform to showcase the developments which are taking place in the region and the opportunities available for investment in various sectors.

The visiting Pittsburgh delegation has brought together distinguished businessmen and representatives of a number of international companies specialized in the fields of nuclear technologies for production of electricity and desalination of water, sustainable energies, green technologies, research and scientific innovations and solar energy industries. Their aim is to forge closer co-operation and partnerships between the two sides.
The seminar aims to encourage local and foreign private investment and to foster the role of private sector in achieving sustainable growth and materializing the strategic objectives of 'Oman 2020'.

OCIPED supported The 1st Oman Global Investment Forum

The two-day forum held at the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort in Muscat from March 16 -17, 2010 organized by Institutional Investor Conferences and attracted hundreds of international delegates in addition to business and industry leaders from Oman.

The First Oman Global Investment Forum showcased investment opportunities in the Sultanate and internationally and brought together key industry leaders, financial intermediaries and top-level policymakers.

OCIPED supported the forum as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting major events in Oman that can help the development and economic prosperity of the Sultanate.

The keynote addresses on the opening day of the forum made by Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, minister of national economy and deputy chairman of the Financial Affairs and Energy Resources Council; Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, minister of commerce and industry and Chairman of OCIPED. The forum featured panel discussion sessions on the economic outlook for Oman, the outlook for capital markets and banking, discuss free zones, industry and infrastructure, prospects for the tourism and real estate sectors in the Sultanate and the oil and gas industry.

Invitation to Participate in CommunicAsia2010, June 15 to 18, Singapore Expo

Since 1979, CommunicAsia has established itself as the unparalleled one-stop ICT event platform in Asia (together with EnterpriseIT, which brings together the newest technology innovations in the ICT industry).

OCIPED’s representative, Mini Environment Service Pte Ltd (MES) in Singapore would like to invite the interested companies to participate in this event. MES group can facilitate your participation e.g. booking of stands, dealing with booth contractors, freight forwarders, visas and accommodation – at no extra charge.

Besides trade events, MES group will be able to help you in providing market information, disseminate export inquiries, organize matchmaking activities, help to implement your export strategy, assist in import approvals etc.

For further information on the event please visit the website of the CommunicAsia: www.CommunicAsia.com or contact the following:
Mr. Colin See
Business Development Manager
Mini Environment Service Pte Ltd
Email: colin@mesgroup.com.sg; mobile: 65 9047385
Or
Mr. Aiman Ambusaidi
Director of Export Development
OCIPED
Email: Ambusaidi@ociped.com; Tel: 24826611

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.

OCIPED conducts Seminar on “Exporting to Libya”

Under the auspices of H.E Ahmed Al Dheeb, Under Secretary Ministry of Commerce and Industry, The Omani Centre for Investment Promotion and Export Development (OCIPED) hosted an informative seminar on “Exporting to Libya” at the OCCI conference room on 27th oct 2009. The seminar revealed in detail the recent study conducted by OCIPED on the potentials of Libya Market emerging as a vital destination for Omani Exporters.

The core audience for the event comprised of the key exporters, logistics companies and key financial institutes. Mr. Faris Al Farsi Acting Director General of Export Development –OCIPED opened the seminar with a brief introductory speech followed by a Presentation which elaborated on the research and market study on the Libya market conducted by OCIPED.

“The market study of Libya has been conducted for 32 Omani origin products and in this seminar will showcase a brief Market profile for each identified product segment including an idea of Market size segmentation, growth rates, end-users and competitors” said Mr. Faris Al Farsi.

Besides the market research OCIPED has also taken a step ahead and attended a Business Interaction Meet at Tripoli and Benghazi during early October through which we tapped the attention of more than 30 key Libya companies who have shown interest in Oman products” – he further added

Later a detailed report on the Market study on Libya was presented by Mr. Sridhar Venkiteswaran , Executive Director Avalon Consulting. The report threw lime light on the sector and product wise import potentials in Libya and highlighted that on the presence of US$ 1.5 billion market for the 32 Omani origin products of which 15 products account for 85% of the market opportunity.

The seminar also briefed the exporters present on the procedures and other key export information regarding the Business Entry route, Duty structures, Documentation and other Labeling and pricing standards. Mr.Salim Nasser Al Bortmany the Export Development working group member of OCIPED and Dy.General manager of Areej Vegetable Oil informed that OCIPED has conducted detailed market study for the markets of Yemen, Syria, Kenya , Tanzania , Iran and Sudan which has resulted in substantial increase of Omani exports to these markets. He further informed that his company has established a good contact with a Libyan company wanting to buy Vegetable Oil and appreciated ociped for sharing the Libya market information with the exporters during the entire process of the market study.

Mr. Faris Al Farsi OCIPED hoped that the forthcoming Buyer Seller Meet among the Omani and Libyan businessmen to be organised during January 2010 will lay the foundation for a phenomenal growth in Non-Oil Omani Origin exports from the Sultanate of Oman.

OCIPED to Participate in the “Woman’s Forum for the economy & Society Global Meeting” in Deauville, France

Eng. Nisreen Ahmed Jaffar – Director General for Investment Promotion – The Omani Center of Investment Promotion and Export Development will participate in the 5th Woman’s Forum for the Economy & Society Global Meeting as an official delegate from the Middle East. During this year the official delegation is from Middle East and many prominent women from the region will be participating. The event is expected to be attended by over 1000 delegates representing 80 countries. The event will be held in Deauville, France during 15th to 17th Oct 09.

The event will deliberate many topics including State of economy after the 2008 financial crises, new global business environment, women entrepreneurship, Women for education .How can women be a greater force for democracy in the world today and many other topics. As part of the program the organizers have arranged pre event meetings with high ranking government officials and leading company executives in Paris on 13th and 14th October.

After the Forum Eng, Nisreen accompanied by Ms. Nasra Hamdan Al Nazwani , Economic Researcher will be meeting senior officials from leading corporate in Paris to promote investment in Oman.

Commenting on the event Eng, Nisreen mentioned that as per the Investment promotion strategy for Oman developed by OCIPED, France is the target market for all the ten priority sectors and in this context OCIPED participation in such conferences will give extra mileage to promote investment in Oman

Seminar On “Exporting to Libya”

Oman participates in the 14th International Business development Forum (FOTORALIA) in Doha

Under the auspice of H. E. Sheikh Hamad Jasem Jaber Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H. E. Sheikh Abdul Rahman Khalifa Al Thani, Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning, inaugurated the 14th International Business development Forum (FOTORALIA), in Qatar International Exhibition Center.

Oman was represented by the Omani Center for Investment Promotion and Export Development (“OCIPED”), with the participation of Mr. Khalid Khalfan Al Hasheli, Director of Investment Facilities, and Mr. Ishaq Khalfan Al Bousaidi, marketing researcher, for the purpose of promoting the investment opportunities in Oman, invite potential investors and reflect clear picture of the investment environment in Oman and the facilities provided to the investors and exporters.

800 businesspersons from 30 countries participated in the 14th International Business development Forum in Doha, organized by Qatar Chamber of Commerce and International Trade Center in Qatar, in cooperation with the Union of AGCC Chambers of Commerce. The two day forum focused on individual meetings organized for the first time in an Arab country. The International Business development Forum featured unique feature in term of dedicating most of the sessions for dual business meetings which have bypassed general issues and concluded by concrete deals, discussing commercial partnerships and exchanging technology information. Over the two days more than 5 thousand dual meetings were held between the participants, in addition to hundreds of meetings on the side. OCIPED representatives met with over 30 companies representing various sectors including industrial, service, IT tourism, etc. which have expressed their appreciation for the services and incentives and investment laws maintaining the rights of the foreign investors.

Oman Japan Business Forum’s Resounding Success Generates New Business Ventures And Partnerships

Muscat, November 2008 - The Oman Japan Business Forum held in November 2nd 2008 concluded with resounding success and achieved significant strides establishing novel business strategies to forge stronger economic partnerships between the two nations.

Organized by the Omani Center for Investment Promotion & Export Development (OCIPED), Oman Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Embassy of Japan and the Japan Economic Trade Organization (JETRO), the Forum witnessed unprecedented attendance of 54 participants representing 33 various companies in Japan and 100 local participants from different business sectors. Specialized business-to-business meetings were arranged to allow both Japanese and Omani companies to meet on an individual basis, network with key executives and explore businesses practices and prospects.

“I am delighted that the first step was taken in achieving our policy objectives to promote business relation between Japan and the Sultanate of Oman through this forum. In that context, I believe this forum was a great success,” expressed H.E. Seiji Morimoto, the Japanese Ambassador to the Sultanate. “I have received positive opinions from the Japanese participants who found it helpful in starting specific business dialogue with their counterparts.”

Nisreen Ahmed Jaffer, Director General of Investment Promotion at OCIPED affirmed, “This first-of-its-kind Forum is a tribute to the long-standing economic relations between Oman and Japan. The business to business meetings provided a unique and insightful opportunity for Japanese executives to meet with Omani companies to discuss new business ventures. It was important for Japanese companies to gain a better understanding of our stable national economy and investments which serve mutual benefits.”

She added, “There was a large degree of optimism conveyed by delegates given the number of infrastructural developments in Oman to encourage substantial foreign direct investment and a sense of security despite the current global financial credit crisis.”

On behalf of the Japanese executives present at the Forum, Kuni Funaki, Chief Executive Officer of JETRO Dubai & MENA expressed, “The Japanese delegation was very impressed and satisfied with the information provided by the Omani speakers at the Forum. The visits to Omani Government dignitaries and business groups augmented their experience making the delegation’s visit more fruitful.” He added, “I would like to thank and congratulate all the supporters of the Oman – Japan Business Forum and we hope to continue such activities so that the economic relationship between Oman and Japan could be taken to even higher levels.”

Mike Parkes, Deputy General Manager of Bahwan Trading Company and delegate who attended the Forum said, “Continuing advisory services provided by Japan to Oman’s government institutions will lead to an even better understanding and closer relationship for economic benefit for both countries.”

Key outcomes of the Forum included the need to sustain momentum by continuing to organize engaging business exchange programs in addition to focusing on new business sectors and promoting tourism to Oman in Japan.

Joint Venture firm “Majan Tameer” established

- Non-Omani Gulf investors to own 70pc
- Main business to focus on real estate
Muscat – A new company “Majan Tameer (construction) company’ with RO40 Million-licensed capital and RO25 million paid-up capital was established at a cermoney held in Grand Hyyat Muscat Hotel last night.

Basha’ar Naser Al Tuwaijri, chairman of the board of directors of Majan Tameer Company, said the non-Omani Gulf investors would own 70 per cent of the new company capital and Omani investors the rest.

Major stakeholders of Majan Tameer include Gulf Investment House (50pc), the Sultanate’s Ministry of Defence Pension Fund (10pc), Sharjah Islamic Bank (10pc), Real Estate Trading Company (10pc), and Public Authority for Social Insurance (9pc), Oman and Emirates Holding (5pc), Oman Cement (4pc) and Pension Fund of the Royal Guard of Oman (2pc).

“The main businesses will include purchase, development, lease, sale of lands, property, incorporation and management of real estate funds inside and outside the Sultanate, availing property management services, providing real estate consultancy services and incorporating new companies,” he said.

The establishment of Majan Construction comes in response to the construction boom, which is parallel to the economic growth witnessed by the Sultanate. In 2006, the real estate department contributed RO352 million to the Sultanate’s DGP, one of the important factors that attracted investments.

Basha’ar Al Tuwaijri said that the real estate sector would witness more growth in the coming period, with the value of demand on real estate reaching RO8billion in 2010.

Badr bin Abdullah Al Ali, CEO of Gulf Investment House, said the company would strive to support the economic growth in the Gulf by establishing a number of investment companies in different sectors.

Al Ali hailed the positive role played by the government to attract investments with flexible laws to make the Sultanate a tourist and trade hub. - ONA

OCIPED: Oman bags export order worth US$ 10 Million to Iraq

Ociped’s Participation In The International Boston Seafood Show Held From 11-13 March 2007 At Boston, Usa
Omani Fish Exporters Expect Usd4 Million Order At The Us Seafood Show

OCIPED in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries had organized Omani fish exporters participation at the International seafood show held in Boston, USA from 11th to 13th March 2007.

The Omani fish companies - Oman Fisheries, Al Bahihi fish Freezing company, Ideal Marine, Al Hamadi Fisheries and Asmak Quriat International who participated in the show had a very good response for all the products that were displayed such as Tuna, Tuna loins, lobsters, lobster tails, shrimps, groupers, sea breams and other dermesal species.Oman fisheries who were displaying value added products such as fish nuggets. Fish fingers, shrimp crispis, fish burgers etc had a good appeal from the sampling carried by them although the show.

The participants felt confident after having met many of the importers, distributors of fresh, frozen and value added seafood would result in substantial order generation to the tune of USD 4 Million.

The Omani exporters also had a fair exposure of the latest equipments, machineries and technology used for fish processing as well as different packing methods. The Omani pavilion attracted a lot of people who watched with keen interest the harvesting of tuna which was displayed on video by Asmak Quriat International.

Mr. Faris Al Farsi Actg Dir General of OCIPED and Ms. Nashwa Al Mazrooi Director of Quality Control at the Ministry of Agriculture and fisheries who were attending the show were upbeat about the outcome of Omani participation and hoped that the fish companies will follow up with the various leads generated at the show.

Mr. P. Ponnudurai, managing director of Lion Dates (India) is the largest importer of Omani dates. The company imports 5000 M.T of dates per annum from Oman, UAE and Tunisia. Mr. Ponnudurai, says that his company is very satisfied with the quality of Omani dates and has increased the import of Omani wet dates from 34 tons in 1996 to 800 tons in 2007. The managing director of Lion dates also mentioned that his company has grown in view of the huge potential in India. Mr. Ponnudurai, assured his strong patronage to Omani dates and sought the support and cooperation of Omani Dates industry.

OCIPED participated in a seminar organized by the OCCI on 1st October 2005 in Nizwa on “Dates Marketing”. Apart from officials from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, many Date Exporters and date farmers were present at the meeting. Mr. Aiman Ambusaidi, Marketing Researcher at OCIPED gave a presentation on Export Marketing of Omani Dates.

In his paper he covered the world production and consumption of dates and the world trade of dates. He pointed out the opportunities available for the Sultanate to export its surplus date production. As a major market for Omani dates, he gave some awareness on the Indian market, which consumes 5% of the world dates production. Then he gave some strategic options on how to increase the export of Omani dates. At the end of his presentation Mr. Aiman introduced Mr. P. Ponnudurai, managing director of Lion Dates (India), the largest importer of Omani dates. The company imports 5000 M.T of dates per annum from Oman, Dubai and Tunisia. Mr. Ponnudurai, in his speech to the audience explained about his experience in importing Omani dates. He mentioned that his company is very satisfied with the quality of Omani dates and has increased the import of Omani wet dates from 34 tons in 1996 to 272 tons in 2004. The managing director of Lion dates also mentioned that his company has grown in view of the huge potential in India. The company has introduced many more products with dates and due to lack of dates supply from Oman the company was unable to fulfill the requirement of end users in India. He further added that his current requirement of Omani dates is around 540 ton per year, which is likely to increase in future. At the end of his speech, Mr. Ponnudurai, assured his strong patronage to Omani dates and sought the support and cooperation of Omani Dates industry.

Mr. Ponnudurai, of Lion Dates, India, placed orders for 540 M.T of Dates (30 containers) valued at US $ 675000 with two Omani Dates exporters.

After the Meeting some of the date suppliers appreciated the efforts taken by OCIPED by inviting the Dates importer for such seminars and expressed their willingness to supply adequate quantity of quality dates.

Ociped’s Participation In The Anuga Food Exhibition In Germany From 13 To 17 October 2007

Oman Cables bags US$ 5 million export order to Sudan
January 29, 2008
Mr. P. R. Ramakrishnan, General Manager (Sales & Marketing), Oman Cables Industry (SAOG) informed that OCI has been pursuing marketing of its power cables to Power Utility, Oil & Gas and EPC Segments in Sudan by regularly participating in Buyer-Seller meets organized by OCIPED and culminating out of this effort, OCI has received orders in excess of US$ 5 Million for exports to Sudan.

Sun Packaging gains additional business worth OR 450,000 from ANUGA Food Fair, Frankfurt
December 10, 2007
Mr. Dilip Shanbhag, General Manager, Sun Packaging Company, L.L.C., informed that by participating in the ANUGA Food Fair in Frankfurt, Germany, the company acquired new customers in Malta, Cyprus, Turkey and Senegal and secured orders for USD 250,000. He said Sun Packaging expected to gain additional business worth Rial Omani 450,000/- in 2008 and thanked OCIPED for facilitating this.