OCCI reviews Estidamah platform enhancements in Muscat

The Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Committee of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) reviewed proposed enhancements to the Estidamah platform at a meeting at the Chamber’s headquarters in Muscat on April 9, 2026. Chaired by Sheikh Ahmed Amer Al Maslahi, Chairman of the SME Committee, the session focused on boosting support for Omani entrepreneurs by advancing the platform’s capabilities, expanding its reach and streamlining project registration procedures to accelerate uptake during the platform’s initial launch phase.

"Emphasis was placed on streamlining and accelerating project registration procedures to improve accessibility and user experience," the committee’s notes said, reflecting a central aim of the discussions to make Estidamah easier for business owners to use and to increase the number of projects registered early on.

Meeting overview and platform priorities

During the meeting, committee members reviewed current progress on Estidamah and examined a range of operational and outreach measures intended to make the platform more attractive to entrepreneurs. Key discussion items included efforts to secure specialized offers and benefits for Estidamah users, the setting of defined timeframes to maximise project submissions during the initial rollout, and consideration of widening the platform’s beneficiary base while preserving its core mission to serve Omani-owned small and medium businesses.

• Attracting tailored offers and benefits for platform users to add value for entrepreneurs.
• Establishing clear timeframes for the initial launch to maximise project registrations.
• Streamlining project registration steps to improve accessibility and user experience.
• Exploring a controlled expansion of the user base without diluting the platform’s focus on Omani entrepreneurs.

Related regulatory work: recruitment offices and ICV

Separately, the committee’s task force on regulating recruitment offices convened to review a dedicated platform designed to organise recruitment office operations. The task force evaluated the platform’s mechanisms and potential to better regulate the recruitment of expatriate labour, improve operational efficiency and mitigate sector-specific challenges. The meeting also canvassed ways to strengthen local institutions’ participation in projects tied to In-Country Value (ICV), aligning labour regulation and procurement practices with broader national economic priorities.

Officials framed the recruitment-office platform as complementary to Estidamah: while Estidamah focuses on enabling entrepreneurs to register and scale projects, the recruitment-office initiative aims to bring more transparency and operational coherence to labour flows that affect business growth and project implementation.

Outlook

With Sheikh Ahmed Amer Al Maslahi leading the SME Committee’s discussions, OCCI is moving to convert the committee’s proposals into actionable upgrades for Estidamah and to press forward with digital tools for recruitment regulation and ICV participation. The committee’s emphasis on defined launch timelines and simplified registration suggests a near-term push to drive early adoption. Next steps are expected to include detailed technical and stakeholder consultations to operationalise the proposed platform enhancements and to coordinate with local institutions on linked ICV and recruitment initiatives.