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Muscat: The National Local Content Office is working on a loyalty programme aimed at incentivising people to buy local products and services, a key official has revealed.
Eng Maryam Mohammed al Kamali, member of the National Local Content Office at the General Secretariat of the Tenders Board, explained the idea behind the loyalty scheme: “The loyalty scheme is like a citizen platform where all local products and services will be listed on it. When a citizen goes to any store and buys a product, points will be automatically added to their account in this scheme, depending on their purchase. The number of points depends on the percentage of local content in the product. For example, if the product is 100% locally made, the number of points will be higher; if it is 60%, the points will be lower, and so on.” Speaking to a local radio station, she added: “This applies to all Omani products as well as local services. If a citizen uses the services of a local company, points will also be added. The idea is to accumulate these points and after reaching a certain number of points, there will be a reward, which may be a discount on a service or an offer on other items that the citizen may need.” In addition, the scheme will allow users to see their contribution to supporting local products and services.
The initiative is part of a larger plan to boost local content and in-country value (ICV) in Oman. Earlier this year, the Council of Ministers approved the National Local Content Policy (2024-2030), which led to the establishment of the National Local Content Office under the General Secretariat of the Tenders Board.
According to Eng Al Kamali, the office is currently developing a national strategy for local content. “The office is currently developing a national strategy for local content. Currently, we are in the initial phase, focusing on four sectors: healthcare, construction, services (including electricity and water), and energy. Our focus is to develop a national strategy for local content within these four sectors, identify localization opportunities, and implement initiatives in the coming years. These initiatives will create jobs, promote direct investment, and localize industries by encouraging the establishment of factories to produce products locally rather than importing them. We are working with the Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Department,” she said.
Additionally, she revealed that the office will host a national lab on local content in November, followed by the release of the approved national strategy.
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