PDO Selects DAI to Develop First Phase of Multisector In-Country Value Strategy for Oman

July 29, 2019

DAI and Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) are delighted to announce that PDO has awarded a contract to DAI to conduct the first phase of a study that will establish a comprehensive “in-country value” (ICV) strategy for Oman, encompassing sectors beyond the traditional ICV arena of oil and gas.

Pictured at the signing ceremony in Muscat, Oman, are Abdul Amir al Ajmi, PDO’s Director for External Affairs and Value Creation (right) and Eng. Sami Salim al Sahib, Director General of Industry in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (left), on either side of DAI’s Jean Gilson, Senior Vice President for Global Strategy (center). Also attending (left to right): Amer al Sinani, Ministry of Oil and Gas ICV Programme Management Office, ICV Strategy Lead; Salim al Hatmi, Ministry of Commerce and Industry ICV Programme Management Office, ICV Strategy Lead; Badar al Abri, PDO ICV Manager; DAI’s Chris MacDonald, Managing Director, Oman; Zachary Kaplan, Vice President, DAI Sustainable Business Group; Steven O’Connor, DAI Communications Director; and Sulaiman al Ruqaishi, PDO ICV Strategy Lead.

Majority-owned by the Government of Oman, PDO is the leading exploration and production company in the Sultanate, delivering most of the country’s oil and natural gas. But the company is committed to supporting growth and creating sustainable value well beyond the oil and gas industry.

“We are delighted to collaborate with DAI on this important work,” said Abdul Amir al Ajmi, PDO’s Director for External Affairs and Value Creation. “The Sultanate of Oman is recognized as a leader in the field of in-country value, and we are determined to apply what we have learned in the energy sector to the Omani economy more broadly.”

Under the reign of His Majesty Qaboos bin Said al Said, Oman has made a concerted effort to support economic development that explicitly promotes ICV, which it defines as expenditures retained in-country to benefit business development, develop human capability, and stimulate economic productivity. In 2013, the Sultanate launched a major initiative specific to the oil and gas industry, designed to generate billions of dollars for the economy and 50,000 Omani jobs in the sector by 2020.

“This study represents the next stage in the evolution of the country’s ICV journey and Oman continues to push the boundaries in ICV delivery,” said Chris MacDonald, DAI’s Managing Director in Oman. “Oman is known the world over as a pioneer in ICV, and we are proud to support PDO and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to develop a multisectoral view of the ICV opportunities landscape in Oman. This is the first time that any country, anywhere has taken such a holistic approach and this opens a new chapter on ICV in Oman and beyond. We’re grateful to have been selected as partners in this far-reaching, forward-thinking initiative.”

In the first phase of the study, DAI will assess ICV opportunities in the healthcare and utilities sectors, developing a sector-specific ICV strategy for each. The analysis will be led by DAI’s Sustainable Business Group, one of the world’s pre-eminent exponents of ICV and “local content” programming, primarily but not exclusively in the oil, gas, and renewables industries.