MUSCAT : His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik has issued a broad set of royal directives to support key social and economic sectors, including a RO 50 million allocation for job-creating projects, to mark the sixth anniversary of his accession on January 11, state media reported.
The measures aim to address essential living needs, expand employment opportunities and strengthen social protection for citizens, according to the state news agency ONA.
Under the directives, the government will allocate RO 50 million for projects with economic and investment returns that generate jobs. The funding will be provided by increasing allocations to the Governorates Development Programme under the Eleventh Five-Year Development Plan (2026–2030) to RO 270 million from RO 220 million.
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Financial support will also be extended to more than 73,000 school students across both academic semesters. The assistance targets students whose families are enrolled in the Family Support System under the Royal Oman Police’s National Records System and will be delivered through a doubling of the childhood benefit paid by the Social Protection Fund.
His Majesty the Sultan also approved amendments to several social protection benefits aimed at supporting low-income families. As a result, the number of families receiving the Family Income Support benefit will rise to more than 57,000, while the total number of beneficiaries across all social protection programmes in 2026 is expected to reach about 1.6 million. Implementation details will be announced by the relevant authorities.
In addition, the government will accelerate the rollout of its 2026 job-seeker employment programme, which includes 60,000 job opportunities. These comprise 10,000 positions in the civilian and military government sector and 50,000 roles in government-owned companies and private-sector institutions.
The directives also include an allocation of 100 million rials to support the Social Housing Programme in 2026 and 2027.
Separately, Oman will extend the payment period for the Job Security Allowance to one year from the current six months for eligible insured persons whose total entitlement does not exceed one full year, with further details to be issued by the authorities.
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