Al Mazunah Free Zone held a coordination meeting with representatives of import and export companies operating in the Yemeni market to strengthen cross-border trade and investment between Oman and Yemen.
The meeting, attended by Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef, Chairman of the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ), highlighted the zone’s services, investor facilitations, and a proposed open market initiative. Discussions also focused on challenges and opportunities to enhance bilateral trade and investment flows.
Al Yousef stressed the importance of the meeting in strengthening partnerships with the private sector and addressing investor requirements related to the Yemeni market to improve the business environment and enhance the zone’s competitiveness.
Eng. Ahmed bin Khamis Al Kasbi, Director General of Al Mazunah Free Zone, said that the zone’s strategic location near the Yemeni border positions it as a key logistics and trade hub for import-export companies. He added that the meeting aimed to encourage businesses to establish a permanent presence in the zone by offering additional competitive advantages.
The zone has proposed an open market, or permanent exhibition, initiative under which participating companies will be allocated space to consolidate, display, and re-export products to Yemen and other regional markets. The six-month pilot phase will be evaluated and refined based on investor feedback.
The meeting also reviewed proposed incentives, while company representatives outlined key logistical and procedural challenges and submitted proposals to improve trade facilitation. Both sides underscored the importance of continued government-private sector cooperation to address challenges and support trade and investment growth.
The meeting forms part of efforts to enhance Al Mazunah Free Zone’s investment appeal, leverage its strategic location, and strengthen its role as a regional trade and logistics hub serving regional markets, particularly Yemen.
Managed by the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn), Al Mazunah Free Zone serves as the Gulf gateway for transit trade with Yemen and East Africa. The zone offers tax exemptions of up to 30 years, customs duty exemptions, 100 percent foreign ownership, and exemption from minimum capital requirements under Oman’s company law.
