A conference to explore Omani and French investment opportunities within the fishery industry took place yesterday in Muscat.
The forum was organised by the Omani-French Friendship Association and Oman Arab Bank under the patronage of Eng Yaqoub bin Khalfan al Busaidi, Under-Secretary of Fish Resources at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.
Veronique Aulagnon, Ambassador of the French Republic to the Sultanate of Oman, shared the following in her keynote speech: “I'm very happy that today we have an opportunity to seriously explore a new area of partnership, one that is so important for Oman Vision 2040, with a lot of expectations in terms of activity and employment.” “Our two countries share a lot in this area. You may know that France has a large maritime coastline as well with abundant seafood resources. We have actually the largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world. A well-established track record in managing [fishing] ports .., privileged access to the EU market and expertise on how to meet the regulations.
And last but not least, an experience and it's an ongoing one on how to add value.” Ambassador Aulagnon recalled in her address the Omani government’s decision in 2020 to choose the French port of Lorient to be its main partner to develop the first modern fisheries port of the country at Duqm. Key Omani stakeholders in the project are Fisheries Development Oman (FDO) and Asyad. “The French government strongly supported this win-win project...and we'll continue to do so..,” she added.
The conference consisted of two main panel discussions, followed by a series of presentations.
The first panel discussed the Duqm fishing port built by the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD) and is expected to be operated by a consortium consisting of FDO, Oman Food Investment Company, Asyad Group and the French port of Lorient.
FDO Chief Executive Officer Nabil al Bimani explained that the port of Lorient was chosen as a partner in the port of Duqm’s operation due to its outstanding record in the fishery industry.
"The Port of Lorient is one of the top three ports in France, with a strong capability in the fishery sector. The port has also demonstrated technical capability and readiness to transfer that know-how to Oman." According to Al Bimani, the Port of Lorient’s application met the Government's conditions for developing an expedited project based on a guaranteed blueprint.
Louis Le Bourlout, a shareholder of SAS Lorient Keroman, reaffirmed the Port of Lorient's commitment to sharing its expertise in the industry. According to Bourlout, the Port will share a wide range of services beyond just operational expertise.
The second panel explored potential investment opportunities within the sector in Oman. It was followed by a series of presentations by French enterprises within the industry.
OFA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Oman Arab Bank, Sulaiman al Harthi, shared: “The opportunities explored during the event can undoubtedly help to push the already friendly relations between the two nations to new levels of excellence and productivity, with huge potential impact on Oman’s blue economy.”
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