HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, led the inauguration of the "Governorates Economics Forum 2024" at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre in Muscat today. The forum, organized by the Ministry of Economy, focused on strategies to enhance decentralization and domestic development, as well as ways to leverage Oman's competitive advantages.
During the event, HH Sayyid Theyazin introduced the Governorates' Competitiveness Index, a key tool for guiding investments and setting development priorities. This index is aimed at creating opportunities to achieve the objectives of Oman Vision 2040, which aims to strengthen the national economy and maximize the economic and social benefits of development projects.
HH Sayyid Theyazin also visited an exhibition held alongside the forum, titled "Development Experiences in the Governorates and Successful Models of Projects." The exhibition highlighted the approaches of the Governorate Development Programme, focusing on utilizing competitive advantages among governorates, showcasing major strategic projects, progress rates of ongoing projects, and future planned projects in the governorates.
The exhibition featured two sections dedicated to showcasing the objectives of the "Governorates Competitiveness Index" and "Governorates Tourism Initiatives."
Economy Minister Dr. Said Mohammed Al Saqri emphasized that the "Governorates Competitiveness Index" provides a holistic view of the progress of development in each governorate. He highlighted that the index identifies opportunities and challenges, aiding decision-makers in formulating development policies based on accurate data. The index comprises standards and sub-indices covering economic, social, infrastructure, education, health, and other vital sectors.
Furthermore, the minister announced the initiation of the Governorates' Tourism Initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism. This initiative, with a budget of RO 15 million, aims to support projects enhancing the tourism sector in Omani governorates.
Dr. Al Saqri stressed that the initiative focuses on leveraging the tourism sector to boost the economy of Omani governorates by supporting projects that capitalize on each governorate's strengths. He highlighted the importance of achieving tangible benefits through the program, such as developing local communities, assisting small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and creating new job opportunities for the local population.
The forum featured three dialogue sessions discussing the current status and future prospects of local development in Oman, as well as the key factors that strengthen the strategic approach to decentralization.
The panel discussions delved into the present state of "governorate development", along with strategies and long-term goals for broadening the horizons of local development—both economically and socially—and surmounting obstacles.
The conference united key stakeholders from the public and private sectors, alongside specialists and civil society organizations. The primary aim was to boost public involvement in formulating strategies, identifying upcoming opportunities (aligned with the Governorate Development Programme's focal points), and extending the range of initiatives and undertakings planned for implementation in the 10th Five Year Plan.
