Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology Presents Its 2025 Execution Plan
As part of the 12th Media Meeting organized by the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology (MTCIT) today, Wednesday, to showcase its execution plan for 2025 and review its achievements for 2024, His Excellency Eng. Said bin Hamoud Al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology, highlighted that the logistics and ICT sectors contributed over OMR 2 billion to the GDP, accounting for 8%. Additionally, investments in the logistics and ICT sectors reached OMR 2.5 billion by the end of 2024, with total development project expenditures amounting to OMR 989 million, 93% of which was allocated to the road network. Furthermore, the number of change orders decreased by 42% compared to 2020.
Employment and Omanization
Regarding employment and Omanization programs for 2024, His Excellency noted an increase in Omanization rates in the logistics sector to 21% and in the ICT sector to 38%. A total of 124 Omani job seekers were enrolled in a training-for-employment program for various roles in the maritime sector. Additionally, 333 Omanis were employed in specialized positions within companies implementing road projects overseen by the Ministry. The initiative also recorded 52 new women’s taxis under the Women’s Taxi Initiative. Moreover, over 2,000 Omanis were employed in IT professions, and a decision was issued to Omanize 8 professions in the ICT sector at a 100% Omanization rate in its first phase. More than 8,000 graduates and job seekers have been trained since the launch of the “Makeen” initiative, with 2,700 beneficiaries in 2024. Furthermore, 19 IT activities were approved for freelance work.
For 2025, the Ministry aims to increase the percentage of Omanis in technical, specialized, and leadership roles within the transport and logistics sectors to 10% of total employees in these positions. The Ministry will also work on a training-for-employment initiative.
In the ICT sector, the Ministry targets raising Omanization rates to 41%, increasing the percentage of Omanis in technical, specialized, and leadership roles by 2%. It will also design and implement initiatives to support Omanis in IT professions, train and qualify 1,000 new beneficiaries under the “Makeen” initiative, and develop a framework to enhance local content in the ICT sector, promoting sustainable employment opportunities.
Road names
His Excellency the Engineer added; This year witnessed the issuance of the high directives of His Majesty the Sultan regarding the names of the main and national roads. His Majesty’s directives, may God preserve him, stipulated naming the road linking the governorates of Muscat, Ad Dakhiliyah, Ad Dhahirah and Al Buraimi, extending from Burj Al Sahwa roundabout in Muscat Governorate to Hafeet outlet in Al Buraimi Governorate, a distance estimated at about 388 kilometers, after Sultan Thuwaini bin Said, and naming the Eastern Expressway, extending for a distance estimated at about 250 kilometers, from the intersection of the Wilayat of Bidbid in Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate to the signals of the Souk of the Wilayat of Sur in South Al Sharqiyah Governorate, after Sultan Turki bin Said. His Majesty's royal orders also stipulated naming the Khasab-Lima-Daba road in Musandam Governorate, which extends for a distance of approximately 72 kilometres, after Sultan Faisal bin Turki, and is currently under construction. The Batinah Coastal Road, which extends for a distance of 244 kilometres from the Halban intersection in South Batinah Governorate to the Khatmat Malaha intersection in North Batinah Governorate, was also named after Sultan Taimur bin Faisal, and the Nizwa-Salalah road, which extends for a distance of 857 kilometres from the Nizwa-Al Dakhiliyah intersection to the Al Saada roundabout in Salalah in Dhofar Governorate, was also named after Sultan Qaboos, and the Muscat-Al Batinah road, which extends for a distance of approximately 300 kilometres from the Qurum intersection in Muscat Governorate to the Khatmat Malaha outlet in North Batinah, was also named after Sultan Qaboos.
Main Roads
His Excellency Eng. Said Al Maawali stated that the total value of road construction, rehabilitation and maintenance projects for 2020-2024 amounted to more than one billion Omani riyals. The year 2024 witnessed the opening of traffic on the main road, Rusayl - Nizwa, the first phase, starting from Rusayl Bridge to Bidbid Intersection, with a length of (27) km, the opening of traffic for the Khazaen Economic City road links project linking with Al Batinah Expressway, with a length of about 7 km, the opening of traffic in the Al Khabourah Road Link Duplication Project in North Al Batinah Governorate, with a length of 14.5 km, the opening of traffic in parts of Sultan Turki bin Said Road (Al Sharqiyah Expressway), and the opening of part of Wadi Haibi Road, and the opening of part of the dual carriageway (Al Kamil and Al Wafi - Sur). This year also witnessed the implementation of a number of strategic road projects, the most important of which are: the Sultan Faisal bin Turki Road Project (Daba - Lima - Khasab) in Musandam Governorate, which is 72 km long, with a completion rate of 33%, and the completion of the Sultan Taimur bin Faisal Road Project (Al Batinah Coastal) (Phase One) with a total length of 70 km and a completion rate of 5%, in addition to the completion of the Sultan Turki bin Said Road Project (Eastern Expressway) (Part Two - Phase Two) with a length of (52) km, with a completion rate of 25%. The Ministry is also working on implementing the "Harweeb - Al Mazyouna - Miten" Road Project, which extends for a distance of 210 km and has a completion rate of 33%. The Ministry is also working on a project to establish an asphalt road network in the Wilayat of Maqshin, with a length of 170 km and a completion rate of 31%, in addition to constructing the Al Mughsail Road and Bridge. The Ministry continues to rehabilitate the road network in the governorates at a high quality level to ensure the continuity of traffic and maintain the level of traffic safety in them; In 2024, the Ministry began rehabilitating a number of roads, the most important of which are: the Bidbid-Nizwa dual carriageway with an approximate length of about 60 km, and implementing the Al-Aflaj Road construction project in the Wilayat of Al-Mudhaibi in the North Al Sharqiyah Governorate, which starts from the intersection of the Sinaw-Al-Mudhaibi Road and ends in the village of Al-Aflaj with a length of (22) km. The Ministry also completed repairing road damage caused by the tropical conditions “Shaheen”, “Monsoon” and “Al-Mutair” in a number of locations in various governorates of the Sultanate, and work is underway to repair a number of the remaining roads. His Excellency the Minister pointed out that it is planned during the current year to start implementing 30 projects with a total value of more than 800 million Omani riyals and a total length of more than 700 km distributed in completing strategic roads, rehabilitating, upgrading and maintaining roads, in addition to logistical and tourism linkage projects, the most important of which are: the dualization of the Raysut-Al Mughsail road, the dualization of the Sultan Said bin Taimur road (Adam - Haima - Thumrait) for the third, fourth and fifth parts, which extends for a length of (400) km from the Wilayat of Haima to the Wilayat of Thumrait through a strategic partnership with an Omani-Saudi coalition, the dualization of the Izki-Nizwa road, the dualization of the Al Kamil and Al Wafi - Jalan Bani Bu Hassan - Jalan Bani Bu Ali road, and the dualization of the Rub Al Khali road (first phase). It is hoped that during the current year a number of projects will be opened, most notably: the project to design and implement road connections in Shinas, the project to design and implement the duality of the Liwa Road connection in North Al Batinah Governorate, the construction of road connections in the Wilayat of Al Qabil from the Sharqiyah Expressway, the project to construct the Al Aflaj Road in the Wilayat of Al Mudhaibi, And the project of fixing and inclining the Argot-Sarfit road.
International Indicators
His Excellency the Minister stated that in 2024, Oman advanced in several international indicators related to the transport, communications, and information technology sectors. In the e-government development index, Oman ranked 41st globally, while in the government readiness for artificial intelligence index, it secured 45th place. In the network readiness index, Oman ranked 50th globally. In the global cybersecurity index, Oman achieved a first-class ranking (out of five categories). Currently, Oman holds the 4th position globally in the aviation accident investigation index.
Performance Indicators
His Excellency Engineer said Hamoud Al Maawali mentioned that Omani ports demonstrated their efficiency and effectiveness as one of the most important ports in the region during 2024. The total volume of general, liquid, and bulk cargo handled through Omani ports exceeded 107 million tons, with over 4 million standard containers processed. More than 3 million heads of livestock were handled, and the number of vessels arriving at these ports exceeded 10,000 ships. Omani ports received more than 325,000 passengers. For 2025, the Ministry targets the adoption of the Oman Ports Development Strategy (2025-2040), signing long-term concession agreements for ports like Khasab, Shinas, and Dhalkout, and launching the “Port Community Platform” for electronic connection of port shipments.
Marine Affairs revenues reached over OMR 1 million in 2024. In the same year, the Ministry issued 384 maritime permits for foreign ships operating in Oman’s territorial waters. The number of ships and marine units registered under the Omani flag reached 766, with 2,276 ships and marine units renewed. The number of seafarer certificates issued was 703, and the number of licenses for maritime activities was 1,072. The number of transactions completed through the Ministry’s “Transport” platform exceeded 800,000, with over 200,000 operating cards issued, generating revenues of approximately OMR 7 million. The “Transport” platform currently offers 16 e-services in the road transport sector, covering areas such as taxi licensing, bus passenger transport, and cargo transport. This year, the Ministry is working on updating the road transport fleet and linking all violations with the Ministry of Labor and the Royal Oman Police.
Net Zero Emissions
Regarding the Ministry’s efforts toward carbon neutrality in the transport sector for 2024, the Minister of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology stated that the Ministry has launched and implemented 25 initiatives and projects in areas such as legislation, governance, investment, and pilot projects. A 100% completion rate was achieved for major projects, including the use of biofuels in public transport, enhancing the infrastructure for electric vehicle chargers with more than 150 chargers installed by the end of 2024, implementing smart systems to reduce emissions, launching pilot hydrogen-powered vehicles, and converting port equipment to electric power. The number of registered electric vehicles exceeded 1,500.
This year, the Ministry plans to establish the first hydrogen station in Oman, create a unified platform for electric vehicle chargers, and implement the phased replacement of government vehicles with electric ones. There are also plans to expand the electric vehicle charging infrastructure and implement a green corridors project for trucks powered by hydrogen.
Communications and Information Technology
Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Digital Technologies
In 2024, the Ministry launched the National Program for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Digital Technologies as part of Oman Vision 2040, which aims to make information and communications technology (ICT) one of the key sectors driving the national economy. By 2024, public and private investments in artificial intelligence had reached approximately OMR 60 million. The Ministry also signed an agreement to establish the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. Additionally, the Ministry organized the “Engineered with AI” competition, resulting in 8 Omani generative AI applications being launched in electronic app markets. Furthermore, the Ministry inaugurated a research chair on AI ethics under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the University of Applied Science and Technology.
The Ministry’s key targets for 2025 include launching the first phase of the Omani language model, establishing the first phase of the AI Studio, and launching the National Open Data Platform. The Industrial Revolution Center will also be operational by then.
Digital Transformation
His Excellency the Minister stated that the overall performance of the government digital transformation program reached 73%, with 67% of priority services being digitized. The digital transformation proficiency of government institutions stood at 77%, and 2,680 services have been simplified so far, with 282 services simplified through the “Munjim” labs, achieving 93% of the target. The number of digital government transactions has risen to approximately 27 million, and the Ministry’s digital transformation rating increased to 85% by the end of 2024.
The key goals for the government’s digital transformation program in 2025 include launching the unified national portal for electronic government services, making 80% of essential government services available online, and achieving 80% maturity in digital transformation across the government sector.
Space
As part of its strategic initiatives, the Ministry aims to position Oman as the regional gateway for space applications that support economic diversification. In 2024, Oman launched its first space rocket through the National Space Services Company (NASC). Oman also joined the International Astronautical Federation, and the growth rate of companies operating in the space sector rose by 90%. The growth in space-related jobs reached 100%, and the sector’s investment growth reached approximately 30%.
During 2025, the Ministry will focus on several key projects, including launching a space accelerator program, implementing phase two of the Space Engineering Lab project in collaboration with Sultan Qaboos University, and executing the second phase of the national space industry capacity-building program. The Ministry will also continue work on defining space-related government institutions and academic institutions.
Cybersecurity Industry (Hadatha)
In 2024, the Ministry, through the National Center for Information Security, launched the “Hadatha” center at the University of Applied Science and Technology and introduced the Hadatha Cybersecurity Industry Award and the Gulf Cybersecurity Hackathon. Three investment opportunities were also presented in cybersecurity insurance, firewall and cybersecurity factories, and data recovery and secure disposal of electronic devices.
For cybersecurity goals, the Ministry plans to launch a new electronic certification system, establish a cybersecurity industry monitoring center, and implement a cybersecurity company maturity program in collaboration with the British CREST organization.
Policies and Legislation
In 2024, the Ministry issued the executive regulation for the Personal Data Protection Law, launched the National Data Governance Framework, and completed the review of the Electronic Transactions Law and the Telecommunications and ICT Law.
The Ministry plans to update several laws in the coming year, including the Electronic Transactions Law, the Telecommunications and ICT Law, and the Cybercrime Law. Additionally, the Ministry will work on the regulation of government digital transformation.