Wednesday 22 / January / 2025
Muscat: The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology has organised its 12th media gathering during which it outlined its executive plan for the year 2025 and the accomplishments made in 2024.
Eng. Said Hamoud Al Ma’awali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, said during a presentation that the logistics sector and the communications and information technology sector contributed more than OMR2 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or 8% of the total.
By the end of 2024, the volume of investment in the communications, information technology and logistics sectors stood at OMR2.5 billion, Al Ma’awali added.
He pointed out that the total expenditures on development projects stood at OMR989 million, of which 93 percent was dedicated to the road network. Change orders decreased by 42 percent compared to 2020, he observed.
Speaking about programmes of employment and Omanization for the year 2024, the minister said that those programmes shrank by 21% and 38%, respectively.
He explained that 124 Omani jobseekers were enrolled in an on-the-job training programme linked to employment in various maritime sector jobs, adding that 333 Omanis were appointed in specialised jobs in companies implementing road projects supervised by the ministry. Meanwhile, 52 new taxis were registered in the Female Taxi Drivers Initiative.
More than 2,000 Omanis were appointed in IT professions, while a decision was issued to Omanise 8 professions in the communications and information technology sector as a first phase, the minister said.
As many as 8,000 graduates and jobseekers were trained, since the launch of “Makeen” initiative, which benefited 2,700 jobseekers in 2024, said the minister. He explained that 19 activities were approved in the IT sector for freelancers.
Through its employment initiatives in the logistics sector for the year 2025, the Ministry of Transport seeks to raise the proportion of Omanis working in technical, specialised and leadership positions (in the transport and logistics sector) to 10 percent, besides implementing relevant on-the-job training programmes, said the minister.
He explained that the Ministry aims to raise Omanisation in the communications and information technology sector activities to 41%, coupled with a 2% increase in technical, specialized and leadership positions by 2 percent.
This was in addition to designing and implementing initiatives to support the employment of Omanis in information technology professions, along with training for 1,000 new beneficiaries within "Makeen" initiative, said the minister.
He pointed out that this approach was further enhanced by preparing a framework to stimulate local content for the communications and information technology sector to help maintain sustainable employment.
The total value of road construction, restoration and maintenance projects from 2020 to 2024 stood at more than OMR1 billion, said the minister, noting that the Ministry keeps maintaining the road network in the governorates at a high-level of efficiency to ensure sustainable road safety.
This year’s plan envisages the implementation of 30 projects to the tune of more than OMR800 million, said the minister, adding that the projects pertain to a total length of more than 700 kilometres of roads, some of which include the completion of strategic roads, the restoration of some roads and the construction of links to logistic and tourism projects.
The minister pointed out that, during the year 2024, Omani ports demonstrated their effectiveness and efficiency among major facilities in the region. The volume of general, liquid and bulk goods handled through Omani ports stood at more than 107 million tonnes, while more than 4 million standard containers were handled in Omani ports, he added.
Statistics show that more than 3 million heads of livestock were handled, while these ports received more 10,000 ships and more than 325,000 passengers.
During 2025, the Ministry aims to adopt the Omani Ports Development Strategy (2025-2040), sign long-term concession agreements (pertaining to Khasab Port, Shinas Port and Dhalkut Port) and launch the “Port Community Platform” for electronic linking of port shipments.
The minister pointed out that the revenues of maritime affairs stood at more than OMR1 million during the year 2024.
As for the Ministry’s efforts in the zero-carbon neutrality of the transportation sector for 2024, the minister pointed out that the Ministry worked on several projects, as 25 initiatives and projects were launched and implemented in the fields of legislation, governance, investment, and pilot projects, and a 100 percent completion rate was achieved in major projects.
