Muscat: The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology said that it paid more than RO 216 million out of private sector dues for existing development projects under its supervision during 2023.

The ministry’s total financial revenues stood at about RO 30 million at the end of 2023, up by 66 percent over its 2022 figures.

Fahd Salim Al Hinai, Director General of Administrative and Financial Affairs at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, affirmed the Ministry’s keenness to settle private sector dues through its Unified Financial System of the Ministry of Finance.

Al Hinai pointed out that payments were made to cover the Ministry’s obligations in the fields of road construction, maintenance and repair of damages caused to the road network during the recent climatic conditions. The Ministry also settled dues for digital transition projects and initiatives in the communications and information technology sector, he explained.

Al Hinai added that the Ministry implemented 230 programmes and training workshops during 2023. The activities included specialized, general, administrative and technical programmes, leadership programmes and distance training programmes.

More than 1,916 employees of the Ministry benefited from specialized workshops held locally and abroad in 2023, said Al Hinai, adding that the Ministry also launched initiatives to facilitate and accelerate procedures for implementing and evaluating training programmes to ensure service quality and performance.

Al Hinai said that, during 2023, the Ministry benefited from the services of 103 new employees, among them 78 on permanent employment contracts and 25 as ‘house of expertise’ members. In 2023, the Ministry Omanized 97 percent of technical jobs, he added.