Sultanate's participation in InfoConnect and InfoBase Kuwait

Visitors have come to be introduced to the investment environment available in the Sultanate in the area of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), to learn about the Sultanate's local and international achievements in the field of eServices and eGovernment, as well as witness the extent of progress achieved by the Sultanate in enhancing the competencies and capacities of citizens.

Her Highness Sheikha Aida Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah, Chairman of the Board of HH Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Award for IT visited the exhibition on Wednesday, accompanied by Dr. Mohammed Al Mulla, and Mr. Bassam Al Shammari senior member of the Award organizing committee.

The exhibition organizing committee introduced her to the exhibition's corners and to the countries participating in which she expressed her appreciation to the great work and projects done in ICT field by the countries participating.

Mr. Abdullatif Sareea Al-Sareea, Director General - Central Agency For Information Technology (CAIT) in the State of Kuwait, visited the Sultanate's pavilion at the exhibition and expressed his admiration for and satisfaction with the Sultanate's presence at InfoConnect and InfoBase 2013, saying: "The Sultanate's participation in the exhibition is indeed heart-warming for all of us as Oman is among the countries keen on participating in Kuwait-based international events. Their presence along with the rest of the GCC countries is essential for the exhibition in terms of exchanging expertise and experiences in the area of Information Technology. We have viewed the works of a number of government agencies participating and their experiences and our brothers in Oman surprise us every year with something new when it comes to pioneering projects and initiatives that we, as officials in the State of Kuwait, and in other countries as well, benefit from."

"The e.oman initiative is regarded as one of the best initiatives in Oman that has a positive impact on the ministries and government institutions inside and outside Oman. Additionally, we may say that the Sultanate was able through e.oman Strategy to move to advanced levels in the field of IT industry and we wish you more success and we thank you for your presence in this event," Mr. Abdullatif added.

Mr. Abdullah Al-Majid, one of the participants in the exhibition from the Ministry of Justice, UAE, commenting on his visit to Oman's pavilion, said, "Oman's keenness on participating in the exhibition represented by ITA and the participating ministries is an indicator for Oman's constant endeavours to showcase and market its services to the exhibition goers. Oman's participation was honourable and it reflected its eagerness to develop its projects in ICT to best serve the nation and citizens. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) booths are of great benefit to entrepreneurs visiting the pavilion to get acquainted with the ICT investment opportunities and environment in the Sultanate."

Commenting on his impression, as a visitor interested in ICT investment, Mr. Mohammed Ahmed Abdul Karim said, "I have seen several experiences similar to that of KOM in the GCC countries, and this is the first time I approached KOM to find out about the benefits it offers to investors. I found that Oman is a good place to start business. In addition to the unique location of the Sultanate among the rest of the countries of the region, KOM offers a good range of advantages for the invested capital, as well as a healthy and ideal work environment. I am thinking to open a new branch of my business in the Sultanate in 2014 and I was able to discuss with the officers-in-charge at KOM's stand how to start setting up projects in the Sultanate. I will be definitely visiting Oman this year to explore the situation and meet up with a number of officials there."

Ibrahim Talib Al-Wardi, the supervisor of Oman's pavilion at the exhibition expressed his satisfaction with the number of visitors flowing to the pavilion, stating, "The flow of visitors to the exhibition and to Oman's pavilion has been non-stop from inside and outside Kuwait. They came to familiarize themselves with the eGovernment services offered by the Sultanate to citizens and to beneficiaries from outside the Sultanate. Visitors have expressed their high regard for e.oman Strategy and for the initiatives taken by the ITA in the ICT industry."

Al-Wardi added, "Through this participation, the visitors of the Sultanate's pavilion, who come from around the region, have learnt about the investment opportunities and environment in Oman, as well as the foreign investments specialized in ICT."

For his part, Badr Daoud Al-Zadjali, Director of Media and Communication at the Directorate General of Marketing and Media, Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE) said, "KOM's participation throughout the last five days has been well received by ICT investors and experts who visited the stand from different Arab countries in particular and foreign companies in general. The officers-in-charge have introduced the investors to KOM's experience in the area of localization of investments. Some investors have expressed their willingness to invest in Oman, pointing out that the Sultanate's benefits from its strategic geographic location making it easy for investors to start various successful economic projects and avail themselves of a myriad of advantages that enable them to establish a worldwide presence as well."

Al-Zadjali added, "The investors who visited KOM's stand were mostly impressed by the unique potentials and components that make KOM, at present, a leading and unique hub for undertaking small, medium and large-scale businesses in the GCC Region, East Africa, and the group of countries bordering the Indian Ocean. Among the most important components, are the competitive prices of land and buildings fitted with state-of-the-art technologies, a factor that contributes to boosting the life standard in the Sultanate in general and the work environment standard at KOM, in particular. Moreover, the modern and word-class means of communications, the large numbers of qualified and trained national cadres, who hold certificates and diplomas and are highly skillful and hardworking, play a pivotal role in ensuring the continuity and success of business enterprises. This is in addition to the constant interest shown by the prudent government to support the business sectors and its earnestness to attract foreign investments."

"Participation in such exhibition constitutes a real value added to KOM from two aspects: First, the marketing aspect, which is represented in marketing and introducing the PEIE in general by striving to achieve its general objectives such as attracting foreign investments, localizing national capitals, incentivizing the public sector to contribute to the comprehensive and sustainable economic and social development, reviving the economic sectors operating in the Sultanate such as the transport, banking and tourist sectors, etc. As for the second aspect, it is represented in creating a mental image of KOM abroad as a pioneering Omani experience at the GCC level, which was established in 2003 to be one of the first initiatives in the region in this domain," Al Zadjali added.

The 2013 InfoConnect & InfoBase Exhibition will carry on until February 7th, and the Sultanate is participating under the umbrella of e.oman initiative represented by ITA in cooperation with the participating ministries - the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Public Authority for Consumer Protection and the Ministry of Tourism, in addition to the Knowledge Oasis Muscat.