Madayn plans RO 245m industrial city projects during 2026–2030

MUSCAT: Eng Dawood bin Salim Al Hadabi, CEO of the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn), stated that the Omani Industry Day, observed annually on February 9, coincides this year with the launch of Madayn’s expanded phased plan for the period 2026–2030.
“The plan forms part of the broader strategic vision “Madayn 2040”, which was updated in alignment with the objectives of Oman Vision 2040. Through this approach, Madayn aims to deliver a long-term economic and development impact across all governorates of the Sultanate of Oman, and hence contribute directly to the Vision’s pillars of a competitive economy and a sustainable environment, while supporting six national priorities and nine strategic objectives under Oman Vision 2040,” Al Hadabi noted.
Al Hadabi elaborated that the phased plan (2026–2030) is structured around three key strategic directions: development and operations, institutional excellence, and environmental protection. “These directions translate into 24 institutional programmes and 90 strategic projects, developed based on a practical implementation methodology that links programmes with executable projects and measurable performance indicators, while considering institutional capabilities, the prevailing legislative and regulatory framework, and financial sustainability,” he said, adding: “The plan is grounded in an in-depth analysis of development and operational gaps, an assessment of regional and international competitive challenges, and an evaluation of Madayn’s position within industrial value chains, ensuring optimal allocation of resources towards areas with the highest economic and developmental impact.”
He noted that the 24 institutional programmes include 10 programmes under development and operations focusing on infrastructure development, developing existing and new industrial cities, investment attraction, industries’ localisation, and empowering the SMEs. “Meanwhile, 11 programmes fall under institutional excellence, covering organisational development, digital transformation and artificial intelligence, human capital development, governance, performance measurement, and local content. Moreover, the environmental protection pillar comprises three programmes focusing on renewable energy efficiency, circular economy and waste management, and environmental risk management,” he pointed out.
Al Hadabi added that Madayn will rely on a set of enablers and accelerators to implement these programmes, including digital transformation through advanced digital infrastructure, adoption of artificial intelligence and data analytics, innovation and entrepreneurship support in industrial and technology sectors, and strengthening strategic partnerships through public–private partnership models. The plan also emphasises enhancing investment attractiveness by streamlining procedures and introducing innovative incentives, in addition to accelerating environmental sustainability initiatives, particularly the renewable energy and circular economy related projects.

The phased plan includes around 90 strategic projects aimed at developing infrastructure and services in existing and new industrial cities, establishing specialised industrial cities, enhancing the investor journey and ease of doing business, advancing digital transformation and artificial intelligence applications, supporting environmental sustainability and energy efficiency, and promoting social responsibility and community development.
Among the key projects are industrial cities’ development projects with a total cost exceeding RO 245 million. These projects include comprehensive rehabilitation works and infrastructure upgrades at Suhar Industrial City; enhancement of services and implementation of Phase 1 of infrastructure at Al Suwaiq Industrial City; establishment of an integrated facility building and infrastructure rehabilitation to enhance the readiness of Al Wadi Al Kabir Industrial City; development of marine facilities and reinforcement of the mining and petrochemical sectors at Sur Industrial City; rehabilitation of the residential area, infrastructure, and supporting services at Nizwa Industrial City, alongside the expansion of its Phase 5; development of residential and commercial zones at Al Rusayl Industrial City; implementation of Phase 4 and enhancement of the commercial area at Raysut Industrial City; infrastructure works at Al Mudhaibi and Thumrait Industrial Cities; establishment of integrated service facilities at Ibri Industrial City; and infrastructure development aimed at delivering a fully integrated industrial environment at Madha Industrial City.
In parallel, Madayn is working to attract and establish several of quality strategic projects during the 2026–2030 period, including the solar PV farm in Suhar Industrial City with a capacity of 97 MW; the Integrated Economic Cluster for the mining sector; completion and operation of Central 7 Building at the Knowledge Oasis Muscat; and the development of the integrated residential area ‘Uptown’ in Al Rusayl Industrial City.
Building on the implementation of these projects, Madayn has set a series of targets to be achieved by the end of the phased plan, using 2025 indicators as a baseline. These targets include increasing private investments in the industrial cities from RO 7.78 billion in 2025 to RO 8.6 billion by the end of 2030; expanding occupied areas in the industrial cities from 34.6 million sqm to 38 million sqm; increasing fully serviced lands from 61.6 million sqm to 70 million sqm; raising exports from industrial cities from RO 3.79 billion to RO 4.3 billion; increasing renewable energy consumption from 0% to 15% of total use in the industrial cities; raising the percentage of Omani employees from 38% to 44% of the total workforce in the industrial cities; and increasing the percentage of Omanis working in technical, specialised, and leadership positions from 42% to 50%.
Al Hadabi highlighted that, as part of its continuous efforts to enhance a work environment rooted in values, excellence, and innovation, Madayn will focus during its 2026–2030 phased plan on strengthening its organisational culture – a strategic pillar for achieving institutional goals and reinforcing its identity. “The framework aims to build an integrated workplace based on values and behaviours that enhance employee engagement, empowerment, and transparent communication, while promoting innovation and sustainability. Over the next five years, the priorities include streamlining procedures, encouraging creative thinking to boost performance, enhancing an environment adaptable to change and development through a flexible culture, cultivating trust and shared responsibility, enhancing work-life balance, and leveraging modern technologies to accelerate processes and improve outcomes,” he stated.
Moreover, Madayn will advance its digital transformation strategy, having recently shifted from a traditional structure to an integrated system for comprehensive institutional excellence. “This includes embedding a culture of performance-based leadership, governance, and excellence, alongside launching digital projects that enhance management and services across industrial cities. Key initiatives include the IFS Cloud ERP system, ESRI ArcGIS, eMasar platform, the internal services and e-learning ‘Durbah’ platforms, as well as internal engagement tools such as ‘Your Opinion Matters’ and the Unified Channel platform. These measures, alongside website modernisation and updated digital policies, have elevated system readiness to the highest standards of security and reliability. All these efforts and achievements have contributed to Madayn achieving Level 2 certification under the EFQM model,” he added.