Muscat: The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, represented by the Omani Accreditation Center (OMAC), celebrated World Accreditation Day 2026 under the theme "Innovation, Trust, and Sustainability: The Power of Accreditation," with participation from officials, experts, and representatives from both public and private sectors.
According to Oman News Agency, the celebration emphasized the significance of accreditation as a cornerstone of quality infrastructure, highlighting its crucial role in economic development and enhancing sector competitiveness. The event reinforced the Ministry's ongoing commitment to advancing the national quality system, bolstering the reliability of services, products, and processes to foster trust in examination, testing, inspection, and certification results. This aligns with the objectives of Oman Vision 2040, supporting the business environment and facilitating trade.
Dr. Said Sultan Al Busaidi, Director of the Omani Accreditation Center, emphasized the Ministry's focus on accreditation as vital for quality infrastructure. He noted accreditation's key role in trust-building, innovation stimulation, and ensuring quality in accordance with international best practices. Dr. Al Busaidi highlighted the Center's efforts to strengthen regional and international presence, aiming for international recognition to boost the acceptability of national conformity assessment results, thereby supporting exports and attracting investments.
During the first half of 2026, the center registered over 202 conformity assessment bodies, including testing and calibration laboratories, inspection bodies, and certification bodies. Efforts included evaluating and accrediting several national laboratories to the international standard "ISO/IEC 17025", enhancing the testing sector's efficiency and global confidence in its results.
The event featured presentations and working papers on topics such as World Accreditation Day 2026, OMAC's international recognition, quality and accreditation's role in Nama Water Services' progress, and regulatory frameworks for testing and calibration laboratories. A specialized session titled "From Registration to Accreditation: An Integrated National Framework to Enhance Laboratory Quality and Efficiency" was also held.
The ceremony concluded with a practical simulation of laboratory assessment operations per ISO/IEC 17025 standards. Specialists from OMAC, laboratories, and technical assessors participated, aiming to familiarize attendees with evaluation procedures and international best practices.
This initiative is part of the Ministry's broader efforts to enhance the national quality system and competitiveness of the Omani economy by improving conformity assessment bodies, empowering national laboratories, and promoting innovation and sustainability. It aims to boost investor and consumer confidence, facilitating access to regional and global markets for Omani products and services.