MUSCAT, SEPT 27
The Oman Trade Office US (OTO US) is working with about 110 Omani companies seeking access to the US market and has held around 370 sessions over the past year, its managing director said.
“We are Oman’s official trade office,” Emmee Haun told a session at the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI). “The better we know you, the better we can promote you in the US.”
The office, launched in Washington in May 2025, is funded by OCCI and governed by the chamber together with four government bodies: the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Oman Investment Authority and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion. It is operated by a three-member team.
Haun worked on the US government side of the Oman-US Free Trade Agreement and lived in Oman for 17 years. She said the office supports Omani companies seeking to export to or invest in the United States, as well as US companies looking to do business in Oman.
Its services include export-readiness assessments, guidance on the free trade agreement, market research and introductions to prospective buyers and distributors.
The office also operates a cohort-based export accelerator for manufacturers and recently completed a round focused on the plastics sector.
Nasim Sadr-Fala, OTO US director of strategy and operations, said many Omani companies ask the office to vet prospective US buyers by checking whether they are legitimate businesses and assessing their premises and staffing levels. Their financial standing, however, generally cannot be established, she said.
“Some people call it one country. I call it 50,” Sadr-Fala said of the United States.
She said the country had more than 7,500 chambers of commerce, compared with one in Oman, while individual states competed for investment through their own tax regimes and incentives.
Companies begin the process by completing an intake form on the office’s website, OmanTradeUS.com, after which the team arranges a one-to-one meeting.
“We give you the tools, you will do the work and we’ll help you analyse it,” Haun said.
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