Located on the southeast corner of the Arabian peninsula at the confluence of the Arabian Gulf and Arabian Sea, the Sultanate of Oman enjoys a strategic position for ocean trade, but beyond and besides its geographical advantage what gets world’s attention to this blessed and beautiful land of rich culture and great tradition is its commitment to the rest of the world and its determination in the face of adversities.

Gifted in the past with a visionary ruler like Late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to lead the nation in the modern times, and blessed to have a worthy successor in His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to take the nation further forward on the path of peace and progress and to chart out a new course for the nation, Oman is playing its important role in maintaining regional and world peace and harmony.

It has been more than half a century of the blessed march ahead, dealing with the issues that came in the way with the preparedness and pragmatism required, as well as openness, to move along with and ahead of the times.

Life in the last two years has been tough and testing for the entire world as the Covid-19 pandemic persisted longer, leaving even the strongest and biggest economies struggling to cope with the negative impacts wreaked by the pandemic. For a nation trying to focus its attention on non-hydrocarbon GDP growth, fiscal consolidation, structural reforms, sustainable development in sectors like agriculture and tourism as well as creating more employment opportunities for its citizens, the pandemic was a severe blow, forcing the nation to put projects and policies on hold to formulate swift and effective policy actions to address the health, social and economic impacts of the pandemic.

The dreams and the vision

The days of angst are not behind yet, but Oman is pressing ahead with its new vision, fresh energy and vital strategies in all sectors – from economy to employment generation, from education to sports, from infrastructure to gender equality. The young nation that never makes tall claims is making its presence felt on every front.

Covid-19 could not dampen the spirit of humanity here, and that is the strength we witnessed in the resurgence of Oman which underscored its might in fighting the odds to emerge victorious in 2021. This is a country with sportsman spirit in every aspect, and that is what is evident in its ‘Vision 2040’, the vision to realise the dreams for generations to come.

T-20 moments at the World Cup

Till a few years back cricket was an alien domain for Oman where football has always been celebrated. That is no longer the scenario and today Oman has two world-class cricket stadiums in Muscat though they are not as big as Lord’s, Eden Gardens or Sharjah Cricket Stadium. This year’s biggest surprise was that the country hosted a few of the T20 World Cup matches that changed the nation’s sport profile as a whole. Of course, it is a big fete for a small country that built its first grass cricket pitch around a decade back. Cricket is not just a game but a way of life in some of the countries it has been played, and Oman is on that fast track now. So, Oman becoming the first ICC associate nation to host and participate in the 2021 T20 World Cup is a pointer to the future of the sports scenario in the country.

Transforming challenges into opportunities

The nation has set sail for a challenging voyage as a global force. The year 2021, which was a challenge for the world, has also been an opportunity for Oman to discover its potential.

When the Covid-19 vaccination was in the initial stage, the nation was in a state of panic. However, it was quick to act.

Thanks to the stringent lockdown measures that did not affect the organic flow of life, and also the highly strategic vaccination drive, it became one among the first nations to tackle the pandemic thus bringing life back to normalcy. Even during occasions like Eid, some restrictions were in place, but those measures did not dampen the colour and spirit of life.

Redefining education

The country’s strategic moves put in place an online platform to ensure education is not severely affected by the pandemic.

Despite the issues in the online mode of education, the advantage for students here was that they did not lose one academic year, and they remained up-to-date which helped a lot in resuming regular classes seamlessly when conditions became favourable.

Diplomatically Oman

A far-sighted strategy was visible in the country’s international relation and economic planning. The meeting of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in July was a turning point in the history of both the nations, especially considering Oman’s power of mediation in international issues. This would also help improve the nation’s economic foundation as it is expecting more overseas investment. Since Oman is now on a path of economic diplomacy, thus enabling economics to play a crucial role in deciding internal as well as international relations of the country, such developments will have a long-term impact, thus helping an economic turnaround that could generate more employment.

More jobs, more investment

Oman has been shifting focus to provide more jobs for its citizens with a view to strengthen the economic backbone of the nation. The new strategies have improved the employment scenario, and these programmes have been implemented in a manner that has also taken into account the expatriate workforce that was a bit puzzled about Omanisation.

As part of a long-term strategy, Oman has given shape to many initiatives aimed at revolutionising the growth trajectory of the nation, offering many lucrative benefits to expatriates as well, including permission to buy property and residency visa for five to ten years to invest or reside in Oman. The permit can be renewed after expiry, and all these have the potential to strengthen the country’s investment environment. With the skies and borders open now, and the world is wriggling out of the clutches of the pandemic, all these initiatives would strengthen the country in many aspects, thus creating more opportunities.  There was some tension in the country in the recent times with regard to the unemployment rate among the citizens but the bold, realistic steps taken by the authorities are steadily changing the situation. It was in this backdrop that the authorities also offered amnesty to the illegal workforce, thus reducing the number of immigrant workers as well.

Facing nature’s fury

When the nation was fighting the pandemic, it also faced the impacts of nature’s fury in the form of flood and the tropical cyclone, Shaheen. Here again, the authorities were successful in mitigating its impacts and the loss was minimal, thanks to the preparedness put in place to deal with the situation.

Food for thought

While the nation is rich in natural resources, which could strengthen its industrial landscape, it depends on import for food requirements. The country is now promoting agriculture and fishing with a new zeal. Even during Covid-19, the agriculture production in Oman improved considerably, thanks to advanced farming technologies and conducive policies of the government that supports domestic crop production to reduce import dependency.