Wednesday 07 / October / 2026
Manama: Omani companies signed six commercial agreements and memoranda of understanding with companies from the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The agreements signed on the sidelines of the Sultanate of Oman's participation in the "Made in the GCC 2026" forum and exhibition, a step reflecting the growing opportunities for trade cooperation between the two countries and supporting the access of national products to Gulf markets.
The move comes within the efforts of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, represented by "Oman Exports," to open new markets for Omani companies and transform their external participations into export opportunities and sustainable trade partnerships.
These agreements and the Omani participation in the dialogue sessions come within the Ministry's endeavours to maximise the economic and knowledge returns from the Sultanate of Oman's presence at exhibitions, forums and regional and international economic gatherings, by promoting national industries and products, enabling Omani companies to reach importers, distributors and trade partners, alongside highlighting national expertise and competencies and exchanging experiences in the fields of industry, innovation, finance, logistics services and supply chains.
The forum witnessed the participation of a number of Omani talents and experts in the accompanying dialogue sessions, which discussed the future of GCC industry, human resource development, the transition towards smart factories, the development of supply chains and financing and industrial partnerships.
In the session "Gulf Talent between Qualification and Employment," Eng. Ali bin Abdullah Al Aysari, Executive Director of the Joint Labour Office at the Ministry of Labour, participated. The session addressed the development and qualification of Gulf talent in line with the needs of the industrial sector and the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the enhancement of quality employment opportunities.
Dr. Ayman bin Abdullah Al Fadli, Chief Executive Officer of the Industrial Innovation Academy, also participated in the session "Smart Factories and Open Industrial Innovation". The session focused on the role of advanced industrial technologies and smart factories in raising productivity, efficiency and competitiveness, and enhancing innovation and cooperation between the industrial sector and research entities.
In the session "Infrastructure and Gulf Supply Chains," Dr. Mahmoud bin Sakhi Al Balushi, Chief Executive Officer of Al Madina Logistics Services, participated. The session discussed ways to enhance connectivity between industrial cities, economic zones, ports and border crossings, and to facilitate customs clearance procedures and the movement of products between the GCC states.
Hamad bin Salim Al Harthy, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Development Bank, participated in the session themed "Financing Mechanisms and Industrial Partnerships," which shed light on the role of financing institutions, development funds and partnerships in supporting the growth of the industrial sector, developing appropriate financing solutions, and enhancing the capacity of industrial projects to grow and attract investments.
Eng. Khalid bin Saleem Al Qassabi, Director-General of Industry at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, said that the agreements signed on the sidelines of the "Made in the GCC 2026" forum and exhibition reflect the growing ability of Omani industrial products to compete and reach Gulf markets. He noted that the diversity of the agreements across a number of industrial sectors confirms the evolution of national industry's capabilities in terms of quality, production and meeting the requirements of target markets.
He added that the Ministry is working to strengthen the industrial sector's connection to external markets and to encourage Omani factories to expand into exports and build sustainable trade partnerships, in a manner that contributes to raising the added value of national products and diversifying the base of non-oil exports. He explained that the Gulf market represents an important extension of Omani industry and an opportunity to enhance industrial and trade integration among the GCC states.
For his part, Mahmoud bin Sulaiman Al Yazidi, General Supervisor of the Omani pavilion participating in the exhibition — Oman Exports at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, explained that the agreements represent direct commercial outputs of the efforts exerted by "Oman Exports" in connecting Omani companies with importers, distributors and trade partners in target markets, and in transforming participation in exhibitions and economic forums into export opportunities and actual contracts that contribute to enhancing the spread of national products.
He noted that export promotion efforts are not confined to participation in exhibitions, but also encompass preparing Omani companies for market access, building direct communication channels with buyers and distributors, holding bilateral trade meetings and following up on the opportunities arising from them, helping companies build long-term trade relationships and open new sales and distribution channels. He affirmed that the agreements signed with Bahraini companies reflect the promising opportunities for increasing the presence of Omani products in the Bahraini market and launching from there towards broader Gulf and regional markets.
The Ministry continues to work on transforming external participations into tangible economic results by organising bilateral trade meetings, exploring promising markets and opportunities, and supporting companies in building distribution networks and sustainable partnerships and opening new export channels, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the Omani product and contributing to the growth and diversification of non-oil exports and the entrenchment of the presence of Omani industry in Gulf, regional and international markets.
