For a digital economy

Aligned with Oman Vision 2040’s economic growth and job creation goals, digital transformation plays a key role as it supports the strategic and vital sectors in the Sultanate of Oman.

The ambitious national programme for the digital economy includes a set of main pillars and medium and long-term goals based on the national directions of the Vision, with a view to achieving them through a set of executive programmes.

The Council of Ministers has already approved the National Programme for the Sultanate of Oman’s digital economy, through which the country will be able to achieve several goals that will contribute to building and developing a prosperous digital economy that responds to the requirements of the future.

It will greatly impact the national economy as it is one of the essential requirements of modern lifestyles, facilitating services and procedures for beneficiaries in different fields.

Digital transformation reduces cost, saves efforts and improves operational efficiency as well as the quality of services provided and simplifies them to offer new innovative services that will enhance customer satisfaction.

In addition, it facilitates the connections between the different government and private entities to ensure data quality, provide a reliable and coherent source of information, and help decision-makers monitor performance, improve the quality of services and set new goals and strategies.

Says Eng Said bin Hamoud bin Said al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, “The adoption of the National Digital Economy Programme enhances digital transformation in the economic and government sectors, and the level of digital services, as well as enriching the citizen’s experience through proactive and integrated digital services”.

The programme is a strategic direction and reference. Nationally, to ensure harmony, coordination and integration between the components of the digital economy in the Sultanate of Oman and a framework for related operational plans and programmes.

Digital transformation is necessary for all government and private entities that consider the importance of the ongoing development of their administrative role, services provided and the delivery of these services to the beneficiaries.

It is not just concerned with applying technology in an institution. It is rather a comprehensive programme that affects the internal workflow of the services to the targeted audience in an easier and faster manner.

Digital transformation as a term can be defined as the employment of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the government and private entities and authorities to develop the entity’s performance and services, improve operational efficiency and increase productivity.

This will serve the workflow in the institution across the different departments and its interaction with the targeted audience and customers. It will also develop the services provided and facilitate its access in a way that saves time and effort.

Oman Vision 2040 digital transformation is expected to boost the Sultanate’s ICT market to RO 2.2 billion ($5.6 billion) by 2024, and drive new levels of citizen engagement.

The Sultanate of Oman’s national digital programme includes three supportive pillars to achieve national goals. While the first of them will accelerate government’s digital transformation, the second will work to strengthen the digital society and the third will focus on enabling business digitisation in economic and strategic sectors.

According to Al Maawali, the programme will focus on a range of opportunities available in the digital economy in the Sultanate of Oman, which revolves around data centre services, cloud services and cybersecurity services.

In addition, it will enable the use of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies such as artificial intelligence in the economic and strategic sectors, developing digital content and attracting foreign technical investments to the Sultanate of Oman.