Friday 19 / April / 2024
Muscat: Oman is now ranked among the top ten best countries globally, according to the indicators of the ‘Global Competitiveness Report’ of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The Sultanate took the number one slot in lack of terrorism incidents, was placed 6th in terms of security and lack of organised crime, and shared the 9th spot for low homicide rates in the country, according to the report.
Oman also got 7th place for ‘efficiency of the legal framework in challenging regulations’ and was placed at 7th place in terms of government’s long-term vision.
Oman was placed 6th globally in terms of employee diversity, where it was given a cumulative score of 4.0 out of 7 in “Ease of Hiring Foreign Labour”, giving the Sultanate an overall score of 49.9 and placing Oman in the 83rd position in countries on the list in terms of hiring foreign workers.
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Overall, Oman ranked 53rd in terms of ‘most competitive country’ among 141 countries.
An official from the National Competitiveness Office told Times of Oman that the office’s existence is proof that Oman cares deeply about making the country competitive in a globalised world .
He said: “The government is interested in international reports such as the GCR, and due to this the Council of Ministers had formed that National Competitiveness Committee which became the NCO. Based on the concept of collaboration between the public and private sectors, the office announces the results in a list of suitable recommendations in coordination with the related organisations.
“On top of that, our office works to strengthen connections with international organisations related to the reports and coordinate between them and the authorities in Oman to make sure that information is delivered correctly. The office is the official partner of the World Economic Forum in Oman, and the forum relies on our office when conducting the surveys that form the report,” he added.
Among Arab countries, Oman was ranked 2nd in cooperation between employers and employees, the quality of infrastructure, the independence of the judiciary, road connectivity, the number of students compared to teachers in primary education, and the diversity of the workforce, as well as the efficiency of the legal framework in settling disputes. Oman also had the 2nd lowest rate of homicides per 100,000 people.
According to a statement from the National Competitiveness Office: “The Centre’s monitoring of the report showed Oman leaping forward in a number of indices compared to last year, including innovation, the efficiency of the legal framework, and a decrease in homicide rates.” It added that Oman was “ranked among the top ten countries in ten indicators.”
Oman’s 7th position worldwide in the ‘Efficiency of Legal Frameworks in Settling Disputes’ came because it rose from a score of 5.3 to 5.4 in one year.
Oman also came in shared first place in ‘Lack of Terrorism Incidents’, which Oman’s National Competitiveness Office described as “an important indicator which reflects Oman’s security and political stability compared to the global situation.”
Oman came in at the 9th place in ‘Homicide Rates’, indicating a low number of heinous crimes in Oman in 2019.
According to the statistics from the WEF, there were 0.5 homicides for every 100,000 people living in Oman in 2019.
Furthermore, Oman was ranked 7th in the ‘Pupil-to-Teacher Ratio in Primary Education’ indicator, and in the 6th place worldwide in ‘Diversity of Workforce’, and is in the 7th place worldwide for ‘the Government’s Long-term Vision’.
According to the statement from the National Competitiveness Office, “This came as a result of the efforts made by institutions both in government sector and the private sector.
“In total, Oman came in 53rd place globally and the sixth place among Arab countries,” the statement added.
According to the office, “The office’s monitoring efforts showed that Oman leaped 29 places to become the 57th rank country in terms of innovation and became the 14th highest country in terms of public trust in police services.”
Oman’s government cooperation centre praised these improvements, saying in a statement that they were “a translation of the efforts of institutions both in the public and private sectors, which aimed to improve Oman’s competitiveness.
“The efforts resulted in Oman coming in the top ten competitive spots worldwide in ten indicators, and managed to increase its ranking by 29 positions in the topic of innovation,” the statement added.
According to the Centre, “Oman came in third place among GCC and Arab countries in trust in police services, the efficiency of port services, and the efficiency of the legal framework in disputing government legislation, as well as the regular connectivity of marine transport.”
The Global Competitiveness report, which comes out during October each year, ranks 141 countries in terms of 12 main factors, including institutions, infrastructure, ICT, economic stability, health, skills, the product market, the labour market, macroeconomics, business dynamics, and innovation, as well as the financial systems in the country.
Citizens and Residents have expressed their satisfaction with Oman’s efforts and successes in this report.
Mohammed Al Balushi told Times of Oman: “I think this is great and it should be reported. If Oman is competing with other countries around the world, especially with security and safety, this means that businesses and investors might come to Oman.
“As for the fact that the ROP is trusted, this goes without saying. We’re always happy seeing what the ROP is doing and I absolutely believe that we all trust it.”
Suresh, an expat, said that clearly shows His Majesty vision of taking Oman forward. “It’s a privilege to live in Oman,” he said.
