Oman PPP laws by 'summer 2016'

EXCLUSIVE: The government of Oman is on track to implement comprehensive PPP legislation in the second quarter of next year, Partnerships Bulletin can reveal.

Sources close to the plans told Partnerships Bulletin that the finer details of the legislation will be established early in the New Year, before work begins to establish the laws between January and April. 

The government is then expecting to write the plans into law in May to be in place by the summer months.

The country is now due to hold meetings next week with legal adviser Squire Patton Boggs as it seeks to establish the finer details of the plans, including legal and regulatory framework. EY has also been appointed as financial advisers for the plans.

Oman is the latest in a string of Middle Eastern countries to implement PPP plans after KuwaitDubai and Qatar also ramped up their own plans.

After overseeing various privatisation deals in the past, the region is looking to a more traditional PPP approach in response to the depression of oil and gas prices and as a way to boost service delivery on projects.

A more detailed look at Oman's plans will feature in the February edition of Partnerships Bulletin.