Muscat:The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ) recently organized a workshop with the World Bank Group Office in the Sultanate of Oman, represented by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), to explore development opportunities. Representatives from zones supervised by OPAZ participated in the discussions.
According to Oman News Agency, the workshop focused on expanding private sector participation and reviewed the international framework for eco-industrial zones. It aimed to enhance the efficiency of the zones' performance and improve the utilization of public utilities. Additionally, the workshop explored ways to connect industrial clusters with local supply chains, enabling small and medium enterprises to supply products and services to ongoing and new projects.
Infrastructure development was another key area of discussion, with a focus on preparing and structuring projects according to public-private partnership (PPP) models. The workshop covered potential technical and advisory support, financing instruments, eligibility criteria, and environmental and social performance requirements.
Through this collaboration, OPAZ aims to pinpoint cooperation opportunities with the IFC. The goal is to supply necessary information to special economic zones, free zones, and industrial cities, and subsequently to the companies operating within them. This initiative seeks to develop mechanisms for project management and operation that enhance operational efficiency and reduce business costs.