Oman’s
Digital Economy Surges to RO 800 Million, Driving Vision 2040 Diversification
Goals

Muscat,
10 Mar 2026 (ONA) — The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information
Technology has released a landmark report titled “Harvest of the Digital
Economy in the Sultanate of Oman: From Foundation to Enablement,” offering
comprehensive insights into growth indicators and progress across the digital
economy’s various pillars, programs and sectors throughout 2021-2025.

The
core digital economy contributed approximately RO 800 million to the national
economy during 2023—a compelling testament to its emergence as a primary engine
powering growth and economic diversification in the Sultanate of Oman.

This
milestone reflects the relentless momentum generated by the National Program
for the Digital Economy, which continues to accelerate government service
digitalization, expand digital infrastructure, and catalyze innovation through
advanced technologies across all economic sectors, precisely aligned with Oman
Vision 2040’s strategic objectives.

Launched
in 2021, the program orchestrates eight transformative initiatives: government
digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced digital
technologies, the cybersecurity industry, the digital industry, space,
electronic commerce, financial technologies and digital infrastructure
development.

The
Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology stewards five
of these executive programs, while the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and
Investment Promotion, the Central Bank of Oman (CBO) and the Telecommunications
Regulatory Authority (TRA) oversee the remaining portfolio.

Eng.
Said bin Hamoud Al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and
Information Technology, affirmed that the ministry champions an ambitious
vision to forge an advanced, sustainable digital economy, responding to His
Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik’s enlightened directives to harness
cutting-edge technologies in fortifying the national economy.

He
underscored that strategic efforts have centered decisively on accelerating
government digital transformation, cultivating a robust digital society and
empowering business digitalization—achievements that have propelled notable
advancement in global rankings, particularly the E-Government Development Index
and the Cybersecurity Readiness Index.

The
minister further emphasized that this period witnessed the launch of several
pioneering, high-impact initiatives, most prominently the Omani linguistic
model “Muaeen,” which fortifies digital sovereignty, alongside the
establishment of the Artificial Intelligence Studio to galvanize digital
innovation, the strategic expansion of fifth-generation networks and the
comprehensive enhancement of digital infrastructure.

Turning
to the forward-looking vision, he revealed that the program’s forthcoming phase
will concentrate intensively on digitalizing high-potential economic sectors
and exporting digital economy services, with the strategic objective of
elevating the digital economy’s contribution to the gross domestic product to
10 percent by 2040.

Dr.
Ali bin Amer Al Shidhani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport,
Communications and Information Technology for Communications and Information
Technology, affirmed that the National Program for the Digital Economy
(2021-2025) was conceived to translate the visionary directives of His Majesty
Sultan Haitham bin Tarik—elevating the digital economy to a national priority
and a fundamental pillar of economic diversification. This initiative, he
emphasized, forms an integrated national framework fully aligned with Oman
Vision 2040, steering the transition toward a knowledge-driven economy founded
on technology and digital innovation.

He elaborated that the program adopted a holistic strategy targeting
digital infrastructure development and enhanced government efficiency, while
stimulating the business ecosystem to embrace artificial intelligence and
advanced technologies alongside cultivating young national talent.

The
program has achieved remarkable progress across multiple vital sectors. The
unified government services portal has been launched, alongside the
“Irtiqa” national competency empowerment initiative and the “Tajawob”
platform for citizen engagement. These efforts have resulted in the
streamlining of 3,166 government services, the exchange of 2.26 billion data
records through the national electronic integration platform and the completion
of over 200 million electronic authentication transactions, achieving an
impressive 94 percent performance rate.

Over
the past five years, 2,277 services and permits have been fully digitized, with
annual government digital transactions now exceeding 29 million.

In
artificial intelligence (AI), investments have surpassed RO 79 million,
catalyzing landmark initiatives including the national generative AI linguistic
model “Muaeen”—the first specialized government AI model—the Oman
Digital Triangle initiative, the national open data portal, the Artificial
Intelligence Studio, and a dedicated zone for AI-focused startups. The AI
startup ecosystem now encompasses approximately 22 specialized companies.

National
capacity building has qualified over 11,000 Omani professionals through the
“Makin” initiative, supplying the labour market with digitally
skilled talent. Omanis now constitute approximately 69 percent of technical,
specialized, and leadership positions in IT professions across all sectors,
while representing 45.5 percent of the total ICT workforce.

The
cybersecurity sector has reached approximately 8,000 domestic beneficiaries and
5,000 international participants through industry programs. Three cybersecurity
centers of excellence have been established within academic institutions, while
the Advanced Cybersecurity Academy has delivered 2,976 specialized training
opportunities to government personnel.

Oman’s
space sector achieved a historic milestone with the launch of its first
experimental rocket from the Duqm spaceport in 2024, alongside signing the
agreement for the design and manufacture of the national satellite. The sector
now hosts 25 companies employing approximately 401 professionals across
government and private institutions, contributing 0.045 percent to GDP.

E-commerce
volume reached approximately RO 288 million in 2025, with over 14,000 licenses
issued for e-commerce activities and 313 online stores documented through the “Maroof
Oman” platform.

Digital
infrastructure now covers approximately 99 percent of the population with
mobile broadband, while high-speed fixed broadband reaches 100 percent of
residential units through fiber optics, 5G networks, or low-orbit satellite
connectivity.

Non-cash
transactions have surged by approximately 703 percent between 2020 and 2025,
supported by four national payment systems developed as foundational
infrastructure for financial technology companies. Ten fintech firms have been
licensed, while 39 financial institutions now operate on the national “Huwiya”
platform for Know Your Customer verification through the Mala’a center.

Looking
ahead to 2026-2030, the program targets establishing digital transformation
centers in every governorate tailored to each region’s digital profile,
creating a national platform leveraging large language models for proactive
intelligence to revolutionize government decision-making, accelerating growth
for national cybersecurity companies, manufacturing and assembling servers and
cloud infrastructure locally to reduce international dependency, developing
integrated cloud environments for satellite data processing to support economic
and research sectors, creating a sovereign local payment card to minimize
reliance on global providers and advancing digital inclusion alongside
telecommunications efficiency, cloud computing infrastructure and data center
capabilities.

—
Ends/Khalid