MIDDLE EAST · STRATEGY
Within the framework of Oman Vision 2040, Nazdaher (Oman’s national program for investment and export development) engaged FDI Center to develop a National Investment Strategy to guide the country’s investment attraction efforts. The project was delivered in close coordination with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MOCIIP) and a steering committee of key government stakeholders.
The objective was to define priority investment opportunities, strengthen Oman’s value proposition, and establish a clear, actionable approach to attracting foreign direct investment.
FDI Center worked closely with stakeholders across Oman to develop the strategy and supporting implementation framework. As part of the project, we:
- conducted over 100 interviews with government stakeholders, sector specialists, and companies to assess Oman’s investment environment and performance.
- analyzed Oman’s investment landscape, benchmarking the country against regional competitors and international best practices to identify key gaps to strengthen its ability to attract investment.
- identified priority target groups aligned with national objectives, including opportunities linked to mineral resources, energy supply, data connectivity, and logistics infrastructure.
- developed detailed action plans for each target group, including target investments, outreach channels, value propositions, and identified investors based on expansion signals.
- drafted national incentive programs tailored to priority sectors, aligned with existing incentives in the country.
- facilitated stakeholder workshops to align institutions and build support for implementation.
- developed a detailed operational manual for investment attraction including investor identification, qualification, and outreach. The module was introduced in a 1-week training for relevant stakeholders in Oman across different government agencies.
- prepared comprehensive reports and an executive summary for Oman’s Council of Ministers.
Following the initial project, FDI Center was further engaged to design the governance structure for FDI attraction in Oman, define internal investment attraction functions within MOCIIP, and recommend the structure for Oman’s international trade and investment offices.
Based on this work, MOCIIP has implemented key elements of the strategy, including the establishment of an Investor Outreach Unit, leading to the successful attraction of investment projects in priority sectors. Since the start of the project in 2022, Oman's FDI performance has significantly improved, with total FDI stock surging to over OMR 31 billion by the end of 2025, compared to OMR 900 million in 2020. Oman was also listed for the first time among the top 25 emerging markets attractive for investment in Kearney's Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index 2024.
