MUSCAT: The opening ceremony of the fourth edition of the ‘Together Forward' was patronized by His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, on Sunday.
One of the main points discussed during the first session of the Forum was that the private sector has not been able to lead the growth engine of the Vision 20240, and a national program has been established for the development of the private sector, dedicated to addressing the challenges it faces and identifying the supportive measures.
The annual forum is organised by the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers in compliance with the Royal directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to enhance communication between the government and society, and to listen to the opinions, suggestions, and aspirations of citizens in various fields.
Sheikh Fadl al Harthi, Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, in his speech, announced that approval has been granted to establish a Forum in the Governorates on a rotational basis, between holding the main forum in Muscat Governorate that will discuss strategic issues, and a secondary forum to discuss local development issues.
Highlights on the First day
Over 8,000 citizens registered to take part in the forum, of which 2,000 citizens have been selected.
The first day of the forum will focus on promoting investment in priority economic sectors.
The second day of the forum will shed light on improving government services to enhance productivity and competitiveness.
The Sultanate of Oman has transitioned from the recovery phase post-2021 to the economic growth phase, which necessitated the need for a centralized entity to lead this transformation.
The Minister of Finance: The private sector is still not capable of leading the economy to meet the objectives of Oman Vision 2040.
The Tenth Five-Year Plan contributed to the creation of around 500,000 job opportunities, raising the total number of employees to around 2.5 million. The Eleventh Five-Year Plan is expected to provide around 700,000 job opportunities.
Around 300,000 jobs dedicated to Omanis are to be generated during the new five-year plan.
A national program has been established for the development of the private sector, dedicated to addressing the challenges it faces and identifying the supportive measures.
The office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs will help in achieving centralized decision-making across various economic sectors, in addition to overseeing the International Financial Center.
The current five-year plan was launched under better economic conditions, as public debt has decreased significantly, with expectations of economic growth of around 4 percent during the period.
The tourism sector's contribution to GDP in 2025 was 2.7%, with a target of touching 6% by 2040.
The total number of visitors to Oman by the end of 2025 was around 3.96 million, with a notable increase in tourism spending levels by 18.1 percent, while the value added to the sector was RO1.1 billion.
The forum aims to inform citizens about development policies, programs, and government initiatives, and will also provide them with an opportunity to express their opinions and suggestions, as well as share their concerns and challenges with decision-makers in a constructive, participatory environment.
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