Wednesday 07 / May / 2025
Muscat: Through its investment in the American company ‘Gradiant’, Oman Investment Authority (OIA) succeeded in strengthening its strategic portfolio and diversifying its investments in the water sector.
This deal is among OIA’s most prominent steps in localising global technologies and utilizing them in the local sector. ‘Gradiant’ is a leading global provider of advanced solutions for water and wastewater treatment with 166 registered patents, in addition to 67 patent applications awaiting approval.
This investment relationship was also characterised by local initiatives, the most important of which was ‘Gradiant’s’ cooperation with ‘Nama Water Services Company’ to launch the ‘Oman Laboratories Innovation Center’, in addition to the cooperation with ‘Turing Company’, one of Gradiant’s subsidiaries, to discuss opportunities to leverage artificial intelligence in addressing water sector challenges in the Sultanate of Oman, as reported in the latest issue of ‘Enjaz & Eejaz’ bulletin.
In addition, the bulletin touched on OIA’s divestment from two investments with international real estate companies, the first of which was divesting from its investment with the Australian company ‘Scape’, which achieved an internal rate of return of 17%, multiplying its investment by 2.3 times. OIA also divested from its investment in ‘Zurich Apart Hotel’ as part of the Elba Hospitality portfolio with ‘Westmont Hospitality Group’, achieving an internal rate of return of 22%, which multiplied the investment by 4.4 times.
Eng. Abdulrahman Al Hatmi, CEO of ‘ASYAD Group’, revealed the Group’s current and upcoming projects, the most prominent being the expansion of Salalah Port and the southern expansion of Sohar Port, in addition to the development of Port Suwaiq and Port Sultan Qaboos. The Group also focused on developing free zones, as it started construction of the Muscat Airport Free Zone in addition to developing the second phase of the Sohar Free Zone.
Regarding its future projects, ASYAD Group has completed the necessary studies for two projects aimed at enhancing trade movement with both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
In the context of highlighting Omani talents, the issue featured the story of Ayham Al Riyami, Senior Director at the Public Markets Directorate, who shared his professional journey since joining OIA in 2009, and his role in managing the global investment portfolio.
The issue also shed light on a group of topics that reflect OIA’s trend to support innovation, enhance sustainability, and build national capabilities. Among those is the ‘Qimam’ hackathons, which toured the various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman. 150 teams participated and worked to provide solutions for realistic challenges.
The issue also showcased a project to plant 30,000 Omani lemon trees on ‘Rahab Farm’, which is the first carbon sequestering project launched by ‘Nakheel Development Oman’. The project aims to contribute to achieving net-zero emissions and raising national production of Omani lemons by 38%.
