Launched by Two Visits of Sultan Haitham: New Omani Economic Pathways in Africa

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A rare royal tour has revived the rich Omani memory associated with the eastern coasts of the Horn of Africa, but this time it charted a new path that penetrated deep into the continent before reaching its western shores overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

While the "Sultana" and "Al-Ghanja" and their sister ships from historical fleets were the passageways to Mombasa, Kilwa, and Dar es Salaam, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq chose this time the plane "Nizwa" to fly him to Luanda via Gaborone, in a historic journey that opens new horizons for the Sultanate at a time when the region is experiencing one of its most intense crises.

More than 20 agreements and memoranda of understanding, mostly in the fields of investment, mining, logistics, and energy, were the result of the royal tour that included Botswana and Angola, alongside a visit to one of the largest raw diamond sorting and evaluation facilities in the world.

Omani State Council member Dr. Mohammed bin Hamid Al-Wardi places the tour in a notable historical context, considering in his talk to "Al Arabiya.net" that Sultan Haitham's visit to Botswana and Angola is the first visit by an Omani ruler to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa since 1856, which was associated with the widest Omani political and commercial presence in East Africa.

However, Al-Wardi points out that there has been no rupture with the continent throughout that period, noting the continued Omani presence in East Africa, especially Tanzania, where the Omani Investment Authority opened an office in Dar es Salaam, before investment cooperation extended in recent years to Rwanda, then Botswana and Angola.

He believes that this renewed presence opens new markets for Omani investments and products, especially in the sectors of mining, energy, food security, and logistics, and expands the Sultanate's presence on the continent.

Dr. Al-Wardi does not view Oman's history in Africa merely as a cultural and historical legacy. The relationships that have lasted for over a thousand years, according to his reading, have granted Oman official and popular ties and deep knowledge of the African continent, in addition to the presence of significant capital represented by families of Omani origin in East Africa, which provides a network of relationships and connections that can be built upon in various fields.

Dr. Al-Wardi refers to Oman's reliance on many experiences and capabilities in its economic and investment presence in the African continent, starting with the political will of the Sultanate's government to enhance investment relations with Sub-Saharan African countries, and working to seize promising opportunities in those countries, which reinforces the Sultanate's direction towards economic diversification, alongside the technical expertise of the Sultanate, especially in the fields of mining, energy, and logistics.

For his part, writer and researcher in political and strategic affairs Dr. Mohammed Al-Araimi does not see the choice of the two countries as coincidental, nor limited to merely seeking investment opportunities. East Africa, he says, will remain the natural and historical extension of Oman, but Africa itself is changing, with its resources and opportunities in energy, mining, agriculture, food security, and logistics.

Dr. Al-Araimi sees Botswana as opening a window in the southern part of the continent, while Angola carries a different significance with its location on the Atlantic and its natural resources, considering that the combination of the two countries reflects an Omani desire to open more than one window in Africa, and not to keep its relations with the continent confined to its ancient historical dimension.

Angola, in Dr. Al-Araimi's view, carries a significance that goes beyond investment opportunities; he sees that Oman, which the world has historically known through the Indian Ocean, is today opening a window to the Atlantic. Africa today, according to his reading, is not merely an extension of an ancient Omani memory, but a continent with resources, markets, ports, and maritime corridors whose global importance is increasing, affirming that this direction is not a shift in foreign policy but rather an expansion of Oman's presence on the African continent.

While the Sultanate of Oman works to open new economic and investment windows, Dr. Al-Araimi warns against the transformation of economic openness into political alignment, noting that the strength of the Omani experience lies in being close to everyone without becoming part of anyone's polarization, affirming that the success of economic diplomacy will not be measured solely by the size of investments, but by long-term relationships, without Muscat losing its political identity that has crafted a special place for it in the Arab, regional, and global arenas.