Muscat – Speaking at the media meeting to review the Ministry’s executive plans for the year 2024 and tabulate 2023 achievements, H.E. Eng. Saeed bin Hamoud bin Saeed Al Mawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, explained that the Ministry aims to launch the unified national portal project for electronic government services in the communications and information technology sector in 2024, and implement a number of projects for the National Center for Space, Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology.

During the course of the current year, the Ministry also seeks to establish a dry dock and initiate a project to build and maintain medium and large ships; inaugurate the first station operating on hydrogen energy in the Oman; begin assigning the implementation of the joint railway project (Sohar-Abu Dhabi); and prepare a draft law.

Highlighting the Ministry’s 2023 achievements, the Minister pointed out that Omani ports received about 11,000 ships, while the volume of general and bulk cargo reached more than 93 million tons; the number of ships and marine units registered under the Omani flag was 662.
Besides, 98 tenders with an estimated value of more than RO 612 million were issued during year the 2023. These included 56 tenders for the transport and logistics sector and 32 others for the information and communications technology sector.

His Excellency further noted that the total volume of investment opportunities in the first and second phases of transport and logistics sector reached RO 1.6 billion.

2023 also saw the Ministry paving more than 200 km of road at a cost of about RO 96 million; 16 km of which were new roads, while 185 km were existing roads damaged by climatic conditions. Besides, the cost of maintaining asphalt and dirt roads was RO 114 million.

As far as ports are concerned, the Minister stated that Omani ports received about 11,000 ships, and that the volume of general and bulk cargo reached more than 93 million tons; also the number of ships and marine units registered under the Omani flag was 662 marine units.

While the number of transactions completed through the Takamul platform for the year 2023 reached 262 million transactions, the efforts of the government digital transformation program resulted in the development of 39 electronic platforms and portals. The Ministry achieved 72 percent of the target in measuring government digital transformation and simplified the procedures for 578 digital services.
Besides, the value of the partnerships and deals signed at COMEX 2023 amounted to RO 40 million.