Muscat: Oman-Italy Business Forum, organized by Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) at its headquarters in Muscat today, discussed means of enhancing economic and investment cooperation between the Sultanate of Oman and the Italian Republic, focusing on a number of vital sectors.
According to Oman News Agency, Eng. Hussein bin Hassan Abdulhussein, a member of the Board of Directors of OCCI, emphasized that the forum reflects the depth of bilateral relations between Oman and Italy and embodies the two countries' shared resolve to elevate economic, trade, and investment cooperation towards broader and more sustainable horizons, serving mutual interests.
In his speech, he added that the volume of trade exchange between Oman and Italy reached about 440 million euros in 2025, including Omani exports to Italy worth approximately 80 million euros and imports from Italy worth approximately 360 million euros. This reflects the robustness of bilateral trade relations and their promising prospects for future growth.
He clarified that the number of visitors arriving from Italy to the Sultanate of Oman in 2025 exceeded 80,000, reflecting notable growth in tourism and cultural exchange between the two countries. Italian companies are also actively working in the Omani market across multiple sectors, including mining, industry, real estate development, oil and gas, and logistics. This reflects growing confidence in the Omani market. He noted that the opening of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) office in the capital, Muscat, has contributed to expanding the presence of Italian companies in the Sultanate of Oman.
Eng. Hussein affirmed that Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry contributes to strengthening trade relations and investment partnerships between the business communities of the two countries. This is achieved by supporting bilateral meetings, activating communication channels, and encouraging joint initiatives that contribute to increasing trade volume, expanding investments, and deepening cooperation in various fields.
For his part, Pierluigi D'Elia, Ambassador of the Italian Republic to the Sultanate of Oman, stated that this forum is an important milestone in the trajectory of economic relations between the two countries and a practical opportunity to deepen existing partnerships and explore new horizons for cooperation in sectors prioritized by both sides. Italian companies view the Sultanate of Oman as a stable and attractive investment environment, thanks to its clear economic vision, modern legislative framework, and strategic geographical location, which qualifies it to be a pivotal logistics and industrial hub in the region, the Ambassador pointed out.
He added in his speech that Italy possesses leading expertise in fields such as railways, advanced engineering systems, energy, and infrastructure-sectors witnessing increasing interest in the Sultanate of Oman within its framework of major national projects. He expressed his aspiration for Italian expertise to contribute to supporting Oman's ambitions towards building a modern and sustainable transport system and enhancing the efficiency of the industry and energy sectors.
The forum featured a visual presentation on "Invest Oman." It showcased the unified enablers and services aimed at attracting strategic investments through a single window that brings together more than 22 government and private entities, supported by a specialized national negotiation team and investor relations managers to support the investor's journey.
The presentation also highlighted the competitive advantages of the Sultanate of Oman, foremost among them its strategic location providing access to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets, encompassing around 59 million consumers, in addition to connectivity with Asian and African markets reaching 2.6 billion consumers, and direct connection to East-West trade routes.
It also addressed the stable economic fundamentals enjoyed by the Sultanate of Oman, with positive credit ratings from global agencies and a currency among the strongest globally, in addition to non-oil exports contributing approximately one-third of total exports.
The Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology delivered a visual presentation outlining the ambitious vision for transport and logistics and opportunities for international investment partnership. Oman aims to rank among the top 25 countries globally in this sector through an integrated package of projects and modern infrastructure, supportive legislation, and partnership programs with the private sector and international investors. The presentation addressed the foundations of this ambitious vision: an integrated and safe transport network, effective institutional governance, innovative digital transformation, in addition to environmental sustainability and carbon neutrality.
The presentation highlighted a number of high-quality projects, including the first green hydrogen refueling station in Oman, electric transport projects such as electric buses and electric bike delivery initiatives, alongside the use of biofuel in maritime locomotive operations at Sohar Port, and projects for shore-to-ship power supply to reduce emissions. On the technical innovation side, smart initiatives in the transport sector were showcased, such as the National Ports Community System, vehicle monitoring systems, and memoranda of understanding for operating Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft and launching a locally assembled drone to support logistics services in remote areas.
The Ministry of Energy and Minerals also delivered a visual presentation introducing promising investment opportunities in the sector. It addressed the investment opportunities offered in the mining and minerals sector for 2025, leveraging the great geological diversity of the Sultanate of Oman and the advantages of investing in mining concession areas.
On the sidelines of the forum, bilateral meetings were held between business owners from the two countries. They discussed prospects for cooperation and partnership, reviewed available investment opportunities in a number of sectors of mutual interest, and explored ways to build strategic partnerships and exchange expertise, contributing to deepening economic partnerships and enhancing cooperation between the two sides.