Oman’s technology sector will receive a RO60mn injection

Muscat – The 33rd edition of the COMEX Global Technology Exhibition began in Muscat on Monday, heralding significant technological progress and investment promises exceeding RO 60 million on the first day.

Over 100 local and international technology institutions are participating in the event, chaired by His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth.

Organized by OITE in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT), the exhibition – open until May 30 – aims to support digital investments as it showcases cutting-edge electronic technologies and services.

HE Dr. Ali bin Amer al Shidhani, Undersecretary for Communications and Information Technology at MTCIT, emphasized the goal of the National Program for the Digital Economy, which is to increase the share of the digital economy in GDP from 2% to 10% by 2040.

This ambitious goal is supported by eight executive programs for sectors such as the digital industry, artificial intelligence, e-commerce and cybersecurity, said the undersecretary.

“Since the launch of the National Digital Economy Program in October 2021, over RO1 billion ($2.5 billion) of investment has been made in the information and communication technology sector,” HE Shidhani said.

He noted that these investments primarily improved communication technologies, data processing and cybersecurity.

He also highlighted the significant increase in the value of contracts and projects announced at this year’s COMEX compared to the previous year, which included new initiatives aimed at developing technical infrastructure and supporting the digital economy through the Oman Investment Authority.

The opening ceremony was marked by the conclusion of several key agreements that will strengthen Oman’s digital infrastructure. These agreements include the establishment of the country’s largest data center by Oman Data Park and Middle East Information Systems Company for USD 25 million in the first phase; strategic partnership between Omantel and Google to establish a regional edge cloud services center in FY2mn; and another significant agreement with Amazon Cloud Services to establish a sovereign cloud service center and integrated e-commerce platform in Oman for RO24 million.

An agreement was also signed between MTCIT, the ITHCA Group and Nortal Company for the development and design of the Unified National Portal for e-government services.

HE Shidhani informed that MTCIT intends to launch several high-value projects, including the Oman Language Model and the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.

Additional initiatives include the Unified National Government Services Portal and the Special Technology Zone for Startups.

Amr Baabood, CEO of OITE Group, recognized the role that the COMEX exhibition has played in showcasing the possibilities of modern digital transformation for over three decades.

“This event plays a key role in better understanding rapid global technological progress and its impact on economic diversification,” Baabood said.