MUSCAT : Oman’s OQ Group has signed an agreement to provide RO20 million to build the main branch of the Youth Centre in Muscat, supporting efforts to develop young people’s skills and expand opportunities in innovation and entrepreneurship.
The agreement was signed during an Omani Youth Day celebration held under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Bilarab bin Haitham Al Said, Minister of State and Governor of Muscat.
Khalid bin Said Al Shuaibi, chairman of the Youth Centre, and Jassim bin Hassan Al Ajmi, OQ’s vice president for sustainability and communication, signed the agreement.
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The planned facility will include business incubators, coworking spaces, innovation and fabrication facilities, training rooms and creative studios. It is intended to help young Omanis gain practical experience and turn ideas into projects with economic and social value.
OQ Group Chief Executive Ashraf bin Hamad Al Maamari said the funding formed part of the company’s efforts to direct social investment towards sustainable national projects that develop Omani talent.
He said the centre was intended to attract young people from across Oman, providing space for learning, work, innovation and the exchange of expertise while connecting skills development with the country’s economic priorities.
Al Shuaibi said the commitment demonstrated the role companies could play in supporting national projects with a lasting social impact. The centre would help nurture talent and youth initiatives, strengthening young people’s contribution to economic and social development in line with Oman Vision 2040, he added.
Social return estimates cited in the announcement project that each rial invested could generate about RO11.4 in social and economic value over 10 years of operation. The announcement did not detail the methodology behind the estimate.
The commitment follows OQ’s allocation of about RO12 million to 256 social investment initiatives in 2025, reaching more than 23,600 beneficiaries. Education and economic prosperity accounted for 55% of those funds, while youth and citizenship initiatives received 19%.
Separately, OQ recruited 130 graduates at the start of 2026 through its skills development programme in partnership with the Ministry of Labour. The group also supports entrepreneurship through its research, development and innovation centre, which provides mentoring and technical expertise to emerging ventures.
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