Under the auspices of HE Eng. Salim Al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals, MEM celebrated the graduation of the first batch of the "Mining Competencies" program today at Oman Institute for Oil & Gas (InstOG). The two-year program provided a comprehensive overview of the mining industry in the Sultanate, targeting both technical and non-technical professionals in the Ministry of Energy and Minerals and the mining industry companies.
The program consisted of two main parts: A two-week Introductory Course on Mining aiming to enhance participants' awareness of general mining processes of general upstream and downstream mining operations. The course was delivered by 9 local and international experts and targeted around 60 participants from the Ministry of Energy and Minerals and the mining industry companies.
The second part of the program consisted of 7 advanced units, each lasting one week. These units focused on specialized topics relevant to technical professionals such as geologists and mining engineers. The topics covered included exploration techniques, Geostatistical analysis and resource estimation, Mine design and feasibility studies, and Mining projects’ models development.
Over 25 entities from various fields, both locally and internationally, contributed to the advanced part of the program, aiming to enhance participants' overall understanding and enable them to acquire advanced skills in the mining industry. International visits were also organized to Fujairah Emirate in the UAE and KSA. These visits allowed participants to gain insights into mining operations and regulatory and legislative management by government authorities.
The program aimed to enhance knowledge and expertise in mining operations, develop technical and non-technical skills of participants in the industry, strengthen interaction and cooperation among participants, government agencies, and local and international experts, provide advanced knowledge in specialized fields such as exploration, mine design, feasibility studies, and others, encourage practical learning through international visits, stimulate innovation and development in the mining industry, and strengthen strategic partnerships between the public and private sectors, local and international expertise.
Commenting on the program, HE Eng. Salim Al-Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals, stated: "As part of our ongoing efforts to develop the mining industry, we celebrate today the graduation of this batch from the National Program for Developing Competencies in the Ministry of Energy and Minerals in particular and the mining industry in general. The program aims to enhance the skills and competencies of our national cadres in the industry. This program aligns with a number of key initiatives taken by MEM to develop the mining industry. These initiatives include identifying public sites and concession areas for competition, as well as launching a digital platform to automate bidding processes in the mining industry in the first phase to enhance transparency and equal opportunities. These achievements constitute a comprehensive roadmap for strengthening the mining industry and providing an appropriate environment for investment and innovation in this industry.”
On his part, Eng. Nasser Al Maqbali, CEO of Minerals Development Oman (MDO) stated: "This training program reflects MDO's strategic vision that focuses on investing in human capital as one of the key pillars of success. We believe that training and developing our national competencies is not just a duty, but a fundamental pillar for achieving progress and innovation in the mining industry. Through this program, we aim to qualify a cadre of professionals who possess modern knowledge and advanced technical skills, to be qualified and capable of leading the growth of the mining industry and achieving sustainable economic and social development."
He added: "We value this existing cooperation between MDO, MEM, and InstOG. We shall continue to focus on empowering youth and contributing to the development of the mining industry in a way that enhances its role in achieving the desired economic growth."
Eng. Naser Al Siyabi, GM of InstOG, stated: "Human capital development is a cornerstone of the development of any industry or institution. We at InstOG fully realize the importance of this matter, especially in light of the government's direction to develop the mining industry and enhance its contribution to the national economy. Therefore, we were keen to cooperate with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals and Minerals Development Oman to design the Mining Competencies Program, which aims to provide professionals in this industry with the skills and knowledge necessary to improve their performance and increase their productivity."
He added: "This program is a testament to InstOG's commitment to its role as a leading national institution in the field of training and development. We are striving to continue designing and developing training programs that meet the needs of different industries in the Sultanate, which contributes to achieving national development goals and enhancing Oman's position as a leading regional hub for training and development."