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Dr. Syed Mehboob
Senior Research Editor, The News Lark
Political and economic analyst
Youth are the backbone of any nation; no nation can move forward on the path of development, progress, and prosperity until it gives proper attention to youth development, facilitates them, and prepares them for future leadership. Oman’s leadership is visionary, farsighted, development-oriented, and wants peace, development, and enlightenment, and gives top priority to youth development. The Royal Academy of Management (RAM) in Oman is a product of Omani leadership.
The Royal Academy of Management (RAM) in Oman develops public and private sector leadership in line with Oman’s Vision 2040. Operating under the royal patronage of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, it partners with Global Institutions to run specialized executive and youth programs. Its Mahwar program targets local administration and executive leaders across government. Muscat and Dhofar to build data-driven decision-making and strategic planning skills. Its Leadership and Logistics Programme was launched in partnership with the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology to guide Oman’s logistics and supply chain sectors. Besides,its Public Policy Design and Implementation Programme was delivered in collaboration with King’s College London to train department directors and section heads on policy execution and artificial intelligence in government.
The Royal Academy of Management ( RAM) , also initiated a six-month Future Leaders Programme targeting young Omani talent across public, private, and SME sectors. Also, the Zad Institute was launched to prepare and enrich promising Omani leaders. It has also initiated the Startup Leadership Program with the Rising Omani Startups program to mentor tech-driven founders in strategy, growth, and finance.
The Royal Academy of Management (RAM) graduates actively contribute to national governance and international milestones. For example, RAM alumna Salma Ali Al Hashmi was selected for the 2026-2027 global cohort of the International Women Leadership Fellows Program (IWLFP), making her the first leader from Oman and the GCC to join the program.
The Royal Academy of Management (RAM) describes its objectives as: “To furnish means of support towards the achievement of our future goals, we are determined to undertake necessary measures to restructure the state’s managerial apparatus, modernizing the schema of laws and legislation, work programs and mechanisms, enhancing the values of work, its principles, and espousing and streamlining procedures and performance governance, integrity, accountability to guarantee complete harmony with the requirements and goals of our vision. “
It explains its philosophy as: “ The Academy’s work philosophy is based on a flexible model involving an agile organizational structure with a motivating work environment, smart technologies, modern learning tools, sustainable buildings, and an innovative and continuously evolving team.”
Blessed by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik’s honorary patronage, the Royal Academy of Management aspires to deliver His Majesty’s ambition of further developing and empowering existing and future leaders in Oman.
Created under Royal Decree No. 2/2022, the Academy aligns with Oman Vision 2040, which pledges to broaden the horizons of the nation’s economy by providing Oman with national competencies and driven leaders.
The Academy is a pioneering, world-renowned hub in executive leadership and a platform for insight and innovation. It is underpinned by modern management practices in accordance with international standards of competitiveness and dynamism.
Through an integrated suite of executive leadership initiatives and programs offered to both the public and private sectors, the Academy will build the capabilities for innovative, future-ready institutions. This will support existing leaders, as well as developing future leaders in line with the latest trends in New Public Management.
The Academy provides a dynamic learning environment, delivering programs in collaboration with its extensive network of top-tier providers from local and world-class institutions. It uses a modern approach through applied blended learning and offers access to knowledge resources and international digital libraries. Participants benefit from being part of a network of high-level local and international professionals.
The Academy embodies the noble ambition of Omani wise leadership in developing and empowering a cadre of national leaders in the Sultanate of Oman. This will enable Oman to seize the opportunities offered by Oman Vision 2040, for which all responsible persons bear the responsibility together, each in his own position and according to his area of expertise.
Today, it is on the cusp of a future with an unprecedented pace of change. The success of countries, governments and institutions is based on applying modern management concepts that keep pace with this change. Any transformation process can be challenging, so the Royal Academy of Management has developed an agile operating model based on a flexible structure using portfolio management. This allows it to bring together experts, innovative ideas, and best practices to respond quickly to changing needs.
More than ever, it needs to communicate and exchange experiences;It has therefore laid solid foundations to ensure the Academy is a platform connecting leaders to innovative ideas to better shape the future.
The Academy operates through four centers of excellence for national leaders and is a source of renewed inspiration for everyone who interacts with it, providing a lasting impact that will benefit them in their careers.
The Royal Academy of Management operates through three independent centers, ensuring a rapid response to changes in the Academy’s work priorities: The Centre of Leadership Development, the Centre of Local Governance, and the Centre of Future Readiness. These centers follow the guiding principles of the Royal directives on state institutions, the importance of the private sector, local sustainable development, and Oman’s national priorities.
The Royal Academy of Management was inaugurated by Royal Decree No. 2/2022 (issued on January 11, 2022), and blessed by the honorary patronage of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.
The Academy’s specializations center on preparing and developing the Omani cadre in the public and private sectors in line with the new economy. The Academy aims to raise the managerial efficiency of employees of both sectors by providing them with knowledge, skills, and a modern managerial outlook through its centers, programs, and initiatives. It employs modern learning tools and methods, in collaboration with world-class institutions and local partnerships, to provide the public and private sectors with driven leaders and qualified competencies to contribute to fulfilling the goals and opportunities of Oman Vision 2040.
Aligned with the commitment of the Royal Academy of Management to empower national leaders at a variety of levels, the Future Leaders Programme aims to empower the next generation of leaders by creating a learning environment that contributes to the development of talent in both the public and private sectors. It emphasizes leadership skills development and enhances second-tier leadership. The programme will include 50 participants who have a minimum of three years of practical experience and are aged 34 years and below, including employees from small and medium enterprises, start-ups, and freelancers.
The programme lasts six months and consists of three in-person modules and three talent labs. The learning journey includes different modules starting with the “Discover” module, which focuses on enhancing leadership, followed by the “Foresee” module to explore successful and advanced international experiences. Finally, there is the “Pioneer” module, which helps enhance a business-success-oriented mindset and achievement. These modules focus on developing and enhancing future skills and applying international best practices among the participants.( Continued )