Thursday 16 / May / 2024
Muscat: Oman is hosting the Middle East Space conference to make the country a regional gateway for space applications, attract investments and support economic diversification.
Oman, represented by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, seeks to develop the space sector for achieving the goals of ‘Oman Vision 2040’ and help achieve economic diversification.
Supervised by the Ministry’s National Centre for Space, Advanced Technology and Artificial Intelligence, the National Programme for the digital transformation targets the space sector among the most prominent fields to bring about major changes in the country’s economy.
During the next ten years, the programme will focus on projects and initiatives for attracting investment opportunities in overhead and ground activities due to the cutting-edge capabilities that the Sultanate of Oman is eyeing for the future.
Oman, represented by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, in cooperation with Euroconsult, will host the Middle East Space Conference on Monday.
The conference aims to promote the space sector in the Middle East and highlight its role as a strategic gateway to attracting investments in space applications and technologies.
Dr. Ali bin Amer Al Shidhani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology for Communications and Information Technology, explained that the conference will bring together 15 leaders from space agencies and international companies and about 70 space specialists who will share their experiences with nearly 400 participants from government institutions, and private sector from various countries of the world.
He said: “The holding of the conference comes as part of the vision of the Omani space sector policy that was launched in January 2023 to make the Sultanate the regional gateway for space applications and support economic diversification.”
He pointed out that the conference - which brings together decision makers and actors at the regional and global levels in space services, technologies and sciences - aims to exchange experiences and build partnerships for the establishment of investment and economic projects in the Middle East, which would fulfill the ambitions of industrial revolution.
The fourth industrial revolution is characterised by rapid technological developments in various fields.
He added that the agenda of the conference, which is being held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre over three days, seeks to achieve a number of goals, notably encouraging the flow of international investments, transferring and localising technological progress in the space sector at the national and regional levels, and localising modern technologies.
He confirmed that the Ministry is moving towards achieving the goals of the space sector, with partners at the local, regional and international levels for achieving common goals, and to harness the potentials of humans.
The first day of the conference includes a number of dialogue and discussion sessions, such as the requirements for building an integrated space sector through policies, financing, and establishing international partnerships, in addition to discussing the current situation of the sector at the local level.
On the second day, the conference will discuss a number of topics related to developments in the satellite communications market, strategies for Earth observation and monitoring applications via satellites, and the most prominent developments related to satellite technologies in various sectors such as oil and gas, environmental sustainability, building smart cities and achieving economic and cognitive progress.
The third day of the conference will address the possibilities of advancement in the space sector, the entry of private sector investments and the qualitative shift it has brought about in applications and services and effectiveness of many businesses and services in various fields.
On the sidelines of the conference, an accompanying exhibition will be organised that will include more than 25 local and international companies specialised in space technologies and sciences, and will bring together providers and users of services and technologies to exchange experiences and build effective partnerships in supply chains, in addition to attracting investments, establishing new business partnerships, and spreading awareness about technological progress in space industry.
