COVER STORY
24 August 2018A
s the leading exploration and
production company in the Sul-
tanate, Petroleum Development
Oman (PDO) delivers the major-
ity of the country’s crude oil production
and natural gas supply, generating a sig-
nificant portion of the revenue needed
for the nation’s progess under the wise
leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos
bin Said. Being the central engine of the
economy gives the PDO the opportunity
to act as an enabler for the development
of Omani supply chains, employment,
expertise and knowledge.
Says Mohammed al Ghareebi, external
affairs & communication manager at
PDO: “We are proud to have created
more than 50,000 employment,
training, redeployment and transfer
opportunities for Omani jobseekers in
both the oil and gas industry and other
sectors since our National Objectives
programme was launched in 2011. This
year alone we aim to create 17,000 such
opportunities, 19,000 in 2019 and 21,000
in 2020.”
PDO is an active supporter of, and
participant in, the Tanfeedh programme
on enhancing national economic
diversification, and the company’s staff
have made significant contributions
to the energy, tourism, logistics,
manufacturing and manpower labs.
“We believe its approach, consisting of
a comprehensive public consultation,
identification of promising projects in a
number of key sectors, and a dedicated
follow-up unit is the right one,” says al
Ghareebi.
He believes that the government has
a crucial role as a facilitator, co-
ordinator and supervisor to ensure
a joined-up approach, so companies
and organisations such as PDO, need
to be ready to help incubate projects
and businesses wherever possible and
whenever called upon.
An increasingly significant area of
PDO’s focus is energy and water
management, energy conservation and
renewable energy, where the company
DRIVEN
BY SOCIAL
CONSCIENCE
PDO aims to design and deliver projects that meet
immediate social needs, are sustainable and offer the
opportunity for the communities to help themselves
Eng Mohammed Al Ghareebi
External Affairs & Communication Manager, PDO