It features six Omani startups and four prototypes developed by young Omani talent through Hadatha centres, reflecting their ambition to turn innovative ideas into promising cybersecurity solutions. Their work demonstrates the efforts of Omani youth to develop specialized cybersecurity products and solutions, supported by the programme’s innovation ecosystem. This support helps Omani ventures advance to more mature stages of development and strengthen their presence in the cybersecurity market. Delivering the ministry’s address at the opening ceremony, Eng Badar bin Ali Al Salhi, Director General of the National Centre for Information Safety, said the exhibition underscored the importance of partnerships between the public and private sectors and coordinated efforts to develop the cybersecurity industry, promote innovation, empower Omani companies and open up new opportunities for cooperation and investment.

Al Salhi described the exhibition as an important milestone in the development of Oman’s cybersecurity industry. He said it reflected the country’s drive to build a promising national sector whose role extends beyond protecting cyberspace to contributing to economic growth, driving innovation, creating jobs and attracting investment. He noted that cybersecurity was no longer limited to protecting systems, data and digital infrastructure. It had become a fully fledged industry built on knowledge and innovation, encompassing specialized companies, locally developed products, technical services and qualified professionals. This, he said, created broader opportunities for investment and exports while strengthening the sector’s contribution to the national economy. Al Salhi added that the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology had adopted the Hadatha Cybersecurity Industry Programme as one of the executive programmes under the National Digital Economy Programme, in line with the objectives of Oman Vision 2040.

He explained that Hadatha aimed to usher in a new phase of the sector’s development, broadening the perception of cybersecurity from a necessity for protecting digital assets to a specialized national industry built on human capital, innovation, creativity and excellence. This approach would create wider opportunities for Omani companies, entrepreneurs and investors. The programme, he said, is built around six complementary strategic pillars: developing national skills and capabilities; promoting innovation; empowering startups and small and medium-sized enterprises; stimulating the market and attracting investment; promoting exports of Omani services and expertise; and raising awareness, marketing and building partnerships. Together, these pillars support the growth of Oman’s cybersecurity industry and consolidate its position as a promising sector contributing to a secure and sustainable digital economy.