Muscat – Oman has made substantial strides in the government’s digital transformation initiative, achieving a 53% completion rate by the end of September 2023, according to a statement by H E Dr Ali bin Amer al Shidhani, Undersecretary for Communications and Information Technology in the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.

The announcement was made during the second edition of the Government Digital Transformation Forum, held alongside the COMEX Show on Wednesday. 

The two-day forum was designed to highlight the achievements of various government institutions in adopting digital technologies. It provided a platform for discussing best practices, future trends and the integration of innovative technical solutions to enhance public services and foster skill development within the sultanate.

In his address, H E Shidhani detailed Oman’s progress, noting the government’s commitment to advancing digital transformation. He reported that in the first half of 2023 alone, the country recorded over 30mn electronic transactions using e-authentication and nearly one million electronic signature transactions. 

From January to October 2023, more than 41mn digital transactions were processed through the government portal, while over 3.3mn ID/residence card certificates were issued digitally. The national platform for electronic integration facilitated approximately 942mn data exchanges from January to October last year.

H E Shidhani also highlighted the simplification of 2,199 services and the digitisation of 1,545 services from January 2021 to September 2023. These efforts mark a significant move towards achieving the goal of digitising all basic government services by 2025, with 61% of the target already met.

“Oman’s dedication to digital transformation is evident as it continues to leverage technology to enhance government efficiency and service delivery, which is critical for socio-economic development and innovation across all sectors,” he stated.

The forum has chosen two main themes for discussions: ‘Comprehensive Digital Transformation’ with emphasis on the importance of an adaptive and innovative government sector; and ‘Innovation and Digital Excellence’ for adoption of global best practices and technologies to enhance government operations and services.

These discussions aim to foster a distinguished digital experience, improve communication strategies for digital transformation, and utilise smart technologies to develop Oman’s digital infrastructure.

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