LOCAL FOR GLOBAL
Omani educational institutions are known for applying global best practices and staying on top of regional and global trends.
IMCO plays an important role in the maritime and logistics sectors, as it is the first college to run logistics program in both the theoretical and practical sides of the operations. 2020 will mean a great deal not only to us, but also the whole industry. Indeed, it will be the second year of a new strategic plan until 2023 whose priority is to offer the highest-quality education and training. We want to ensure our graduates are ready to enter the industry with the necessary confidence and skills. In the early days of the industry, people did not know what logistics was. Today, the international economy relies heavily on logistics. Supply chains have become extremely important. In order to account for any challenges that arise, we are fully engaged with the industry and stakeholders to see what we can do to meet the changes taking place. Dry ports and free zones are two particular developments that we are looking at closely. Oman has many strengths, including its geographic positioning and internal stability. At 2.3 million, Oman has a small population. This means that Oman must focus on transit across the different transport modalities. We need a strong organizational infrastructure in place to really succeed in this area. The fourth industrial revolution will force the entire ecosystem to change or risk declining. The challenges will revolve around automation and technological development, though this transformation will take time, as much as 20-30 years.
Majan University College was established in 1995 as the first private higher education institution in Oman. It started as the College of Administrative Sciences on the back of a collaboration between the Oman Chamber of Commerce and some businesspeople, and then in 2002 it became known as Majan University College. The college has a foundation programme and three faculties: Faculty of Business Management, Faculty of Information Technology, and Faculty of English Language Studies. We have a new Islamic banking and finance program, which was recently approved by the Ministry of Higher Education. We also recently introduced a new transport operations management pathway to our BA in business administration. We have aligned the programme with the government's 2040 plan, the UN's national sustainable development goals, and market requirements. Under our partnership with the University of Bedfordshire, we offer four master's degrees: MBA, MSc in computer science, MA in international human resource management, and MA in applied linguistics. All new programmes are first approved internally and then by the University of Bedfordshire. The final approval comes from the Ministry of Higher Education. Feedback is also crucial for our institution, which is why we involve external examiners, industry players, and students in the process. Recently, I was working with Tanfeedh on a lab called Quality of Education. We looked at Oman's 2040 strategy for the education sector and the top priority was providing quality education to everybody.
LOCAL FOR GLOBAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Focus: Future foreign policy
Friends to all, enemy to none
In championing the late Sultan Qaboos' non-interference foreign policy, the new ruler of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, is determined to work for friendship and peace, justice and harmony, and coexistence and positive constructive dialogue.
read articleInterview
David Kalife, CEO, Oman Oil Marketing Company (OOMCO)
Despite Oman's fuel market slowing down, OOMCO increased its sales volume of lubricants by 36% in 2019 and is constructing a greenfield bunker terminal at the Port of Duqm. The company has transformed while growing its expertise in Marketing and Digital.
read articleInterview
Azzan Al Busaidi, CEO, Ithraa
Azzan Al Busaidi is an expert in competitiveness and economic growth. He was appointed CEO of Ithraa in 2019 after 17 years spent covering managerial roles in the organization. Al Busaidi was previously Ithraa's director general of planning and studies and is a strong advocate of the potential of digitization. He holds an MBA from the University of Strathclyde and a BSc in Economics from Sultan Qaboos University.
read articleInterview
Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry & Investment Promotion & Former Chairman, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Private Omani companies will be able to benefit greatly from the Fourth Industrial Revolution by enhancing their local value-added strategies and upskilling the workforce.
read articleInterview
Tahir Bin Salim Bin Abdullah Al Amri, Executive President, Central Bank of Oman (CBO)
The Central Bank of Oman's job is to ensure there is adequate liquidity in the system and that banks remain robust and resilient to meet the credit requirements of all segments without undermining financial stability.
read articleB2B
Capital markets
CMA and MSM are supporting Vision 2040 by providing financing to government companies that intend to go public, financing expansion of existing and new IPOs, and widening the investors base in Oman by enhancing and developing the investment funds and insurance industries.
read articleInterview
Khalid Al Balushi, CEO, Khazaen Economic City
International investors and business owners can benefit from Khazaen Economic City's strategic location and its close proximity to the main gateways of the country to import, process, manufacture, distribute locally, and export their goods and services.
read articleFocus: Port 4.0
Destined for greatness
Investments in world-class infrastructure have generated huge rewards for Oman. The goal now is to leverage technology as a disruptive enabler, build human capacity across the public and private logistics sectors, and drive operational efficiencies to build an integrated logistics business environment that is benchmarked against the world's best.
read articleFocus: Gap in tourism services
All bases covered
An amalgamation of local companies and unique experiences in Oman has created an original flavor that is further differentiating Oman's tourism offering from other countries and in the process attracting scores of tourists from all across the world.
read articleB2B
Engineering design
Renardet Engineering Consultants and Design Unit Engineering are recognized experts in their fields. While the former is an international company strongly committed to excellent engineering consultancy services and environmental practices, the latter is an Oman-based team of architects and engineers that incorporates local culture and traditions.
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Construction materials
Oman's construction sector is facing a host of challenges, but Hempel Paints and Al Maha Ceramics are confident that a mix of forward-thinking business models, unique products, and strong government initiatives will help them through turbulent times and generate positive returns in the long run.
read articleInterview
Salim Razvi, CEO, Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA)
Focusing on higher education institutional accreditation, program accreditation, and the updating and maintaining of the Oman Qualifications Framework, OAAA is helping further advance higher education in the Sultanate.
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