Egypt and Oman explore deeper energy and mining cooperation

Egypt and Oman are moving to deepen cooperation in oil, gas and mining and plan to implement projects in these sectors in the near future, according to a statement from Egypt’s petroleum ministry on January 13, cited by Al Borsa. 

Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi, held talks with senior Omani officials on the sidelines of the International Mining Conference in Saudi Arabia. The meeting brought together Badawi, Mohsen Al Hadhrami, Undersecretary at Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals, and the chairman of Petroleum Development Oman. Discussions focused on expanding the role of Egyptian companies in executing oil and gas infrastructure projects in Oman.

Badawi said Egypt is interested in deepening its footprint of Egyptian contractors in Oman, noting that Egyptian oil services firms Enppi and Petrojet are already delivering main projects, while the Egyptian Drilling Company has been registered to take part in well-drilling activities in Muscat.

Beyond hydrocarbons, the talks covered broader cooperation in the mining sector and the exchange of technical expertise. Badawi explained the recent reforms in Egypt, which aimed at boosting investment, including the transformation of the Mineral Resources Authority into an economic entity to streamline licensing and speed up procedures.

He also pointed to Egypt’s launch of its first comprehensive airborne and seismic survey of mineral resources in four decades, designed to modernise geological data and unlock new opportunities.

The Egyptian minister said these developments open the door for joint projects under a memorandum of understanding signed last year between the two countries, particularly as Oman advances its own mining strategy following the completion of a nationwide geological survey