By Conrad Prabhu — MUSCAT: MARCH 25 - Oman Wan Fang LLC, the Chinese consortium behind the ambitious Sino-Omani Industry City planned at Duqm Special Economic Zone (SEZ), has pledged to sponsor the training and skills development of around 1,000 young Omanis in China.
An announcement to this effect was made by one of the consortium members at a briefing for a group of visiting journalists at the SEZ last week.
Maya Yang, the CEO of one of six corporations that together constitute the Oman Wan Fang consortium, said: “We will sponsor a total of 1,000 Omani students who will be given the chance to study in China. After the completion of their study, they will return to participate in the construction of the Oman-China Investment Park.”
Last May, the consortium signed a landmark deal with the SEZ Authority of Duqm (SEZAD) for the establishment of the industrial park with an investment size billed in excess of $10 billion.
Covering an area of 1,172 hectares — the single largest parcel of land leased to a developer — the sprawling site will house a plethora of heavy, medium and light industries, as well as host substantial tourist, commercial and healthcare components.
Mega investments are proposed to include a new 230,000 barrels per day capacity refinery, as well as a Chinese-led refining and petrochemicals complex.
An initial batch of 40 Omani students, hailing mainly from Wusta Governorate, left the Sultanate on a two-year scholarship study at Chinese institutions in Ningxia Province. “For many of them, it was their first travel out of Oman, and they were very excited,” said Maya.
In addition to Chinese and English language training, the students will also be offered skills that will support their long-term career development upon their return to the Sultanate.
The selection of students for the scholarships is being coordinated with Oman’s Ministry of Education, Maya added.
Earthworks covering part of the giant Sino-Omani Industrial Park are ongoing. Around 35 heavy industrial investments are planned in the zone. They include plans for a steel mill, aluminium smelter, tyre manufacturing factory, magnesium plant, urea scheme and factories manufacturing cement, building materials and glazed glass.
The consortium also plans to set up a Light and Medium Industries Zone earmarked for, among other investments, assembly plants, automotive assembly units, halal foods processing, logistics based ventures, and e-commerce units, solar-based equipment, car batteries, oil and gas tools, bicycle assembly units, apparel production facilities and so on.
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