Saturday 20 / December / 2025
Muscat: Plans to streamline Oman’s growing manufacturing industry are now underway, with the formation of the Oman Manufacturers’ Association (OMFA), a new body to provide solutions to get the best out of the employees in the sector.
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The Association will act as a liaison between government organisations and the companies themselves, so as to provide the best possible solutions for decision makers, company operators and employees.
Officially launched on Wednesday at InterContinental Hotel, OMFA was established by a group of manufacturers in the Sultanate who have undertaken the responsibility to contribute to the vision, hopes and aspirations to enhance the growth of the industrial sector, increase its contribution to GDP and participate in the decision-making industry.
“Since 1984, when I started as the founder of the Oman Cable Industry, until today, the sector has expanded tremendously from being one industrial sector and going up to six industrial zones, as well as additional free zones. The idea of establishing an association of manufacturers was discussed during the Industrial Day in 2014, and was accepted and appreciated by the Minister of Commerce and Industry. It was then addressed by a number of manufacturers in 2017, and within a few months, 40 associate members came together to form the association which was one of the legal requirements,” said Hussain Al Lawati, Chairman of the Association.
He continued saying that the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) understood the need to create the Association that could focus directly on the challenges of the next stage.
“The challenges faced are numerous, including cost effectiveness, manpower requirement, a skilled and unskilled labour workforce and how to coordinate with authorities with regard to that, among others. We intend to see where the issues and challenges are and then take it to the authority to bring it to their knowledge. OMFA can communicate with various parties and cooperate with the OCCI, which is the main umbrella for the private sector.”
He added that the integration will also include the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates “Madayn”.
Moreover, Al Lawati explained that the Association is a professional non-profit organisation that includes industrial investors and large, medium and small industrial establishments from different governorates of the Sultanate under one umbrella in order to take care of their interests.
Feedback tours
Present at the event, Eng. Said Al Rashdi, CEO at OMFA, said that the Association will carry out a schedule of visits to all the industrial zones of “Madayn” in the Sultanate from next January.
“It is an important step to meet the manufactures and listen to their opinions and feedback, and involve them in everything related to the industrial sector in the Sultanate and communicate with the related parties to highlight directly the concerns of the manufacturers and the challenges facing them and propose appropriate solutions,” Al Rashdi said.
He added that the Association will develop industrial studies to maintain the competitive advantage of the Omani industry, to find a way to develop the workers in the industrial sector and improve their skills, communicate with other relevant associations and strengthen relations of partnership and integration with them.
