Thursday 19 / September / 2024
Salalah: His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik chaired a meeting of the Council of Ministers at Al Maamourah Palace in Salalah today.
At the outset of the meeting, His Majesty the Sultan gave thanks and praise to the Almighty Allah for plentiful riches which He has bestowed on Oman. He prayed to Allah to grant bounties of good health and blessings to Oman, its noble people and its residents.
Then, His Majesty the Sultan reviewed a number of topics. Within the context of improved financial performance in the Sultanate of Oman over the past period, His Majesty the Sultan expressed his satisfaction about the decline in the volume of public debt and the ensuing positive outcomes that contribute to the consolidation of confidence in the local economy and the establishment of an attractive environment that helps activate various economic sectors.
The Council of Ministers took note of the progress made in the field of employment and affirmed that employment tops the national priorities and that initiatives recently endorsed by the Government will contribute to the generation of more jobs for Omani citizens.
To push forward these initiatives, the Council of Ministers endorsed the allocation of an additional RO 50 million to enhance the jobseekers employment programme and other employment tracks in the private sector. The Council of Ministers also endorsed the addition (to the said employment programme) of 1.2 percent of the value of purchase invoices collected from the sectors of oil and gas, government units and companies affiliated to Oman Investment Authority (OIA). The authorities concerned shall devise clear-cut procedures and terms to ensure the sustainability of opportunities that would be generated.
Within the framework of the Royal attention to social and educational aspects, His Majesty the Sultan hailed the efforts made by the departments entrusted with citizens’ livelihood conditions. His Majesty gave directives to the authorities concerned to allocate RO 72 million within the State Budget to fund the “Family Income Support Benefit Programme”, as part of the Social Protection Fund's schemes that were announced recently.
His Majesty the Sultan also addressed congratulations to students upon the start of the new School Year and Academic Year. He prayed to Allah the Almighty to make it a year full of diligence and hard work. His Majesty commended the efforts made by teachers and academics as they prepare for the new year, noting that they are entrusted with grooming a generation armed with knowledge and science and inspired by noble principles and values.
Within the context of a steady rise in number of students in some governorates, the Council of Ministers approved the allocation of RO 40 million to be added to the current 5-year plan to help accelerate the construction of new schools.
The Council of Ministers approved the National Programme of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Advanced Digital Technologies and the implementation of their projects and initiatives. The step is aimed to raise the Sultanate of Oman’s ranking in the Government AI Readiness Index through the adoption and localisation of related techniques and legislation, enhance the productivity of economic and developmental sectors and increase the number of nascent specialized technology companies in developing local solutions.
Pursuant to reports about a rise in number of visitors during Khareef Dhofar (monsoon season) to one million until the end of August 2024, His Majesty the Sultan lauded the efforts made by the departments tasked with implementing development projects, organizing activities and programmes tailored to attract tourists to Dhofar Governorate -- which helped make the 2024 Khareef Dhofar season a success.
His Majesty the Sultan underscored the significance of studying tourist aspirations and developing the services rendered to them in a manner that sustains their numbers over the upcoming seasons.
After commending the performance of government institutions and their efforts in tackling related issues that constitute national priorities for improving public services, His Majesty the Sultan stressed the need to develop mechanisms for measuring the level of beneficiary satisfaction about government services and aspects related to the streamlining of procedures in a manner that contributes to upgrading the quality of services and improving the satisfaction of beneficiaries.
His Majesty the Sultan gave directives to the Council of Ministers and the departments concerned to launch, in each government institution, an electronic platform to be dedicated to receiving complaints and proposals of beneficiaries during 2025.
In view of the solid social harmony that has marked Omani society throughout history, and, based on the deep-rooted Omani values that reject all forms of extremism, fanaticism and partisanship, the Council of Ministers stressed the importance of fortifying the society and consolidating the role of the family in properly raising children on grounds of tolerant principles to help them avoid deviant ideas or be influenced by them.
In this context, His Majesty the Sultan praised the efforts made by personnel of military and security departments in dealing with incidents aimed to undermine security. His Majesty instructed all state institutions to remain vigilant, monitor such phenomena and address them as soon as possible.
Within his review of regional and international issues, His Majesty the Sultan touched on bilateral relations with a number of Arab and friendly countries. He reaffirmed the Sultanate of Oman's keenness and continuous efforts to cooperate with all countries in a way that benefits all.
At the conclusion of the meeting, His Majesty the Sultan spoke about different aspects of concern to the nation and citizens. He gave his Royal directives to all state institutions to continue improving the missions entrusted to them and to develop appropriate conditions to upgrade performance at all levels. He wished all more success towards the realization of the good of the dear nation and its loyal people.
