Saturday 19 / September / 2026
Muscat: The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, in cooperation with the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones, will begin on Tuesday a comprehensive survey of industrial establishments across all governorates of the Sultanate of Oman.
The survey aims to provide accurate and comprehensive statistical data on industrial activities, supporting industrial development plans, information-based decision-making and the enhancement of national databases related to the sector.
Ghalib bin Said Al Maamari, Undersecretary of the Ministry for Commerce and Industry, said the survey represents an important step in supporting industrial planning and investment by providing updated indicators on sector performance, growth rates, challenges facing industrial establishments and available investment opportunities.
He noted that the results will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Industrial Strategy 2040 by providing an updated industrial database that helps identify the sector’s needs and supports the development of policies, programmes and initiatives.
Al Maamari stressed that the participation of industrial establishments and their timely and accurate submission of the required data are essential to the success of the survey.
A high response rate, he said, would enhance the quality and accuracy of the resulting indicators and statistics, strengthening the ability of authorities to plan and make decisions that support the sector’s growth and competitiveness locally and internationally.
He also said work is under way to reclassify industrial licences, urging all establishments covered by the survey to actively cooperate with the field teams and provide the required information in accordance with approved standards.
Eng. Khalid bin Salim Al Qasabi, Director General of Industry, said the performance indicators of Oman’s industrial sector reflect continued growth and an increasing contribution to the national economy.
He pointed out that manufacturing industries contributed about OMR869 million to GDP at constant prices during the first quarter of 2026, according to National Centre for Statistics and Information data.
The Industrial Strategy 2040 targets increasing the contribution of manufacturing industries to GDP to OMR5.44 billion by 2030 and OMR10.702 billion by 2040. The contribution of manufacturing industries to total GDP stood at about OMR3.7 billion at the end of 2025.
Al-Qasabi said re-exports grew by 64.4% through the end of May 2026, exceeding OMR1 billion, reflecting increased commercial activity associated with the industrial sector and its contribution to economic diversification and non-oil exports.
Non-oil merchandise exports also grew by 1.5% during the same period compared with the corresponding period of 2025, reaching about OMR2.739 billion.
He noted that the Industrial Strategy 2040 seeks to strengthen the presence of national products in international markets by raising the value of non-oil commodity exports to more than OMR10 billion by 2030. These include metal products, chemicals, energy-related industries and food products.
Dr Ahmed bin Khalfan al Badawi, Director of the Industrial Strategy Implementation and Evaluation Department , said the industrial survey forms part of efforts to formulate manufacturing-sector policies in cooperation with strategic partners.
He explained that current efforts focus on evaluating factory efficiency in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and modern technologies, while identifying the skills required by the labour market in coordination with relevant authorities and the Sectoral Governance Committee.
Al Badawi said this year’s survey also supports digital transformation and complements the Ministry’s efforts to develop and update electronic systems for collecting industrial data.
This will facilitate procedures for companies, improve the quality and accuracy of data, enhance national indicators and statistics, and strengthen integration and information exchange among stakeholders through interconnected government systems.
The survey covers industrial establishments with a capital of OMR5,000 or more and nine or more workers.
The Ministry called on all establishments covered by the survey to cooperate with the work teams and provide accurate and updated data, stressing that their participation will help produce reliable information to support industrial planning, decision-making and the development of policies and programmes aimed at strengthening the sector.
