Supervisory
Committee for National E-Commerce Plan Holds First 2025 Meeting

Muscat,
14 May (ONA) — The Supervisory Committee for the National E-Commerce Plan
convened its first meeting of 2025 at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and
Investment Promotion headquarters to review progress on the plan’s initiatives.

Chaired
by Qais Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Investment
Promotion, the meeting included representatives from government entities such
as the Oman Investment Authority (OIA), Royal Oman Police (ROP), Ministry of
Transport, Communications and Information Technology, Central Bank of Oman
(CBO), Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and Consumer Protection
Authority.

Dr.
Saleh Said Masan, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion’s
Undersecretary for Commerce and Industry, emphasized the meeting’s role in
evaluating the plan’s implementation, with 73% completion (22 of 30
initiatives) achieved by the end of 2024.

The
Undersecretary added that the plan focuses on: Supporting e-commerce firms with
competitive telecom services; Streamlining e-procurement and business procedures;
Enhancing logistics, digital payments, and legal frameworks and raising
awareness and skills development.

He
noted that global e-retail sales reached USD 6 trillion in 2024, reflecting the
sector’s rapid growth. Locally, Oman issued 9,232 e-commerce licenses and
certified 204 stores on the Maroof Oman platform post-Ministerial Decision
(499/2023) on regulating e-commerce.

Azza
Ibrahim Al Kindi, the Ministry’s E-Commerce Director, said that these
milestones demonstrate accelerated sectoral growth and compliance awareness.
The plan—aligned with Oman Vision 2040 and developed with the UNCTAD—aims to
position Oman as a regional e-commerce hub by 2027 through strategic digital
transformation.

—Ends/AG