Belarus’ Hi-Tech Park sees Oman as reliable and promising partner 

MINSK, 3 April (BelTA) – The Hi-Tech Park of Belarus sees Oman as a reliable and promising partner, Head of the Secretariat of the HTP Supervisory Board Anna Ryabova said at a meeting of the Belarusian-Omani Joint Committee on Cooperation and Investment, BelTA learned from the HTP.

The Hi-Tech Park is participating in the visit to the Sultanate of Oman as a member of the official Belarusian delegation headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov. During the meeting, Anna Ryabova spoke about the development of Belarus’ IT industry, along with the current state and future prospects of high-tech cooperation with Oman.

She emphasized that Belarus boasts one of the most dynamically developing IT industries in the region, a fact confirmed by steady growth in IT service exports and a unique legal environment that provides HTP residents with favorable conditions for doing business. The head of the Secretariat of the HTP Supervisory Board also noted the Belarusian side’s interest in deepening cooperation with Oman, which is steadily moving towards digital transformation under the national program Oman Vision 2040.

“The Hi-Tech Park sees Oman as a reliable and promising partner. Our residents are ready to share their expertise, offer comprehensive digital products and work on creating solutions that will meet the highest international standards,” she added.

Anna Ryabova separately addressed the development of the national start-up ecosystem. “We are actively engaged in shaping the national start-up ecosystem – essentially, nurturing young unicorns. This is of great interest to investors from around the world. Oman also values and develops this. And we truly want both to present our companies and to see how to create new high-margin stories, including from an investment perspective,” she said.

During the visit, a meeting took place between Anna Ryabova and Seema Alkaabi, Director General at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology of Oman. The Omani side showed keen interest in Belarus’ experience in developing IT education and training personnel for the digital economy. The focus was on the competencies and developments of HTP residents in the fields of smart cities (digitalization of urban infrastructure, transport management, urban environment security) and cybersecurity (critical infrastructure protection, secure communications). The parties discussed prospects for cooperation and the possibility of implementing projects with the participation of HTP resident companies.

A meeting was also held with the leadership of the ITHCA Group, where prospects for interaction in the development of Oman’s digital infrastructure were discussed. The Belarusian side expressed its readiness for HTP resident companies to take part in joint projects on the territory of the sultanate.

On the second day of the visit, the Belarusian-Omani Business Forum took place. Representatives of the HTP Secretariat spoke about the growth drivers of Belarus’ information technology industry and its importance for the country’s economy, presented opportunities for cooperation with Omani partners, and shared success stories of HTP residents and their breakthrough developments.

The forum gathered over 200 Omani companies interested in cooperation with Belarus. HTP residents held a series of B2B negotiations with potential partners, discussing areas of interaction, conditions for localization and entry into the sultanate’s market. An exchange of contacts took place with representatives of regulatory and industry bodies.

The Omani side confirmed its readiness to consider the implementation of ready-made products by HTP residents, as well as the development of custom IT solutions tailored to local specifics.

Furthermore, Omani partners expressed interest in exploring the possibility of joining the Hi-Tech Park as a jurisdiction with unique conditions for conducting digital business.

The HTP’s visit to the Sultanate of Oman has set a practical course for bilateral cooperation in the field of information technologies. The presentation of the competencies of HTP resident companies and the substantive negotiations held at the level of ministries and strategic investors struck a chord with Omani partners, opening new horizons for Belarusian IT companies in the Middle East.

Photos courtesy of Belarus' Hi-Tech Park