Monday 22 / September / 2025
Salalah: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, in cooperation with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Riyada), today organized a workshop on contracting and construction, and the mechanism for benefiting from social housing projects. The event was held at the branch of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) in the Governorate of Dhofar.
The workshop aimed to achieve integration by proposing and developing a structured framework for cooperation between the Ministry and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This framework is designed to ensure benefits and gains for all parties, specifically concerning the Housing Assistance Program.
This initiative is part of the broader pursuit of housing stability for the Omani family in general, and for eligible families in particular who are unable to own adequate housing. This is facilitated through the Housing Assistance and Residential Units programs supervised by the Directorate General of Social Housing and Projects. The effort also includes the gradual increase of the ceiling for housing assistance, as well as encouraging the contracting and construction sector to purchase local products.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning seeks to ensure the workshop achieves its objectives by enabling enterprises to benefit from these opportunities, in addition to the advantages offered by Riyada to its members through the "Riyada" program.
The Housing Assistance Program targets no less than 1,200 Omani families annually by providing a financial grant for the purpose of building or purchasing a residential unit, which ensures housing stability for them. This leads to providing approximately 1,200 opportunities for SMEs in the labour market across various governorates.
