Omani trade delegation to head for Ahmedabad

Muscat: Oman’s inward investment and export promotion agency, Ithraa, will lead a delegation of 13 high-profile organisations to the State of Gujarat in an effort to connect with Indian investors looking for commercial opportunities in the Sultanate.
The delegation will be led by Yahya bin Said Al Jabri, Ithraa’s Chairman. The Omani delegation will participate at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Ahmedabad where they will present on a range of investment opportunities in the sultanate, as well as highlighting the support available for Indian companies considering setting up operations in Oman.
The delegation’s visit to India, which starts on Thursday, comes at a time when India is emerging as perhaps the strongest player among the BRIC nations — Brazil, Russia, India and China. While global and domestic headwinds are affecting growth in the Brazilian, Chinese and Russian economies, India is growing at a rate of 7 per cent, putting it neck and neck with China.
Nasima bint Yahya Al Balushi, Ithraa’s Director General of Export Development commented: “The Sultanate and India share a long-standing and highly collaborative trade relationship, one that fuels prosperity in both countries. Indeed, we strongly believe the Sultanate’s a great place for Indian investment. Our strategic location, quality of life, infrastructure, stability and transparency of our political, legal and regulatory environment, breadth and depth of investor pool, entrepreneurial culture plus the wide range of support offered by government to foreign investors are all key strengths.”
Oman-Indo investment flows, estimated at around $7.5 billion, have been robust over the past few years, particularly in iron and steel, cement, fertilizers, textiles, cables, chemicals and automotive.
Commenting on the upcoming Ahmedabad visit, Al Balushi explained: “while the global success of companies such as Tata and Infosys is well known, the quality of Indian SMEs has improved significantly over the past 10 years, and many are looking to enter the growing Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets using Oman as their gateway. We’re particularly focused on attracting firms working in manufacturing, mining, logistics and petrochemicals.”