AHMED MURAD (CAIRO)
Oman has witnessed significant achievements since His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq assumed power on January 11, 2020, heralding a new era of development in the Sultanate’s history.
In just four years, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq has succeeded in achieving unprecedented development and reforms in various political, economic, and social fields, positioning Oman at the top of many global indicators and rankings.
As part of the reform programme adopted by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, 28 Royal Decrees were issued in August 2020, including decisions to repeal laws, restructure some ministries, establish new ministries, change the names of some ministries, and inject new blood into the state administration, exemplified by the appointment of Shihab bin Tariq bin Timur Al Said as Deputy Prime Minister for Defence.
His Majesty also sought to enhance the course of governmental and national work, restructuring the Council of Ministers on June 16, 2022, aiming to intensify and diversify efforts aimed at improving governmental performance across various units of the state administrative apparatus.
Judicial System
His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq sought to establish the fundamental principles and rules of an efficient judicial system aimed at achieving the highest standards of justice, integrity, and transparency. In this regard, a Supreme Judicial Council was established to unify the judiciary and public prosecution under a single judicial system.
Advancement in Parliamentary Work
In a short span of time, His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq made significant advancements in parliamentary, legislative, and municipal work, stemming from his belief in the importance of citizen participation in nation-building.
In October 2023, the elections for the 10th Shura Council were held, with 843 candidates, including 32 women, competing for 90 seats, with voter participation rate standing at 66%.
Voting in these elections took place through the “Intikhab” digital application on smartphones.
In November 2023, His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq delivered a speech during the opening of the first annual session of the eighth term of Oman’s Council, comprising the State Council and the Shura Council, reaffirming the commitment to further achievements in the comprehensive development path within the framework of Oman 2040 Vision, while making further efforts to diversify national income sources.
Oman witnessed its first municipal elections in December 2022 under the reign of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, resulting in the formation of 11 municipal councils in 11 governorates.
The elections saw the election of 126 members out of a total of 696 candidates.
Municipal elections were conducted through the “Intikhab” application on smartphones, marking a unique experience and a first in Oman’s history.
Municipal councils play a vital role in the development of various governorates of Oman, contributing to achieving the Sultanate’s future vision objectives.
Economic Successes
His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq has strived over the past four years to fulfill his commitments, including advancing comprehensive development to place Oman among advanced countries and elevate it to the level of citizens’ aspirations in various fields, especially the economic sectors, which witnessed numerous successes and achievements.
These include controlling public spending, improving non-oil revenues, and enhancing Oman’s financial performance through the Tenth Five-Year Development Plan (2021-2025), resulting in an upgrade of Oman’s credit rating by international credit rating agencies.
Oman’s financial performance data for 2023 indicates a fiscal surplus of approximately OMR 931 million and an increase in general state revenues for 2023 to OMR 12.213 billion.
The International Monetary Fund expected Oman’s economy to achieve further growth in 2024. Some estimates suggest that Oman’s economy will grow by 2.4% in 2024 after recording a growth rate of 2.3% in 2023.
Among the economic successes achieved during the reign of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, the Omani Investment Authority ranked among the top 10 sovereign wealth funds in terms of asset size in the Middle East, while ranking 28th among the top 100 sovereign wealth funds globally, with assets of about $46 billion.
In the liquefied natural gas sector, Oman achieved a record in its gas exports, reaching around 11.3 million metric tonnes in 2022, according to the report of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF). Oman ranked second in the Arab world and remained among the top 10 major gas-exporting countries globally.
Oman 2040
His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq is keen on achieving the future goals of Oman 2040, which are implemented over four consecutive development plans aimed at diversifying and enhancing the national economy.
The overall objectives include achieving sustainable economic growth at an annual rate of 5%, increasing per capita income by up to 90%. The signal for the commencement of this future vision was given with the launch of the Tenth
Five-Year Development Plan (2021-2025), which aims to stimulate economic activity, develop the macroeconomic environment, enhance public financial management efficiency, develop the necessary infrastructure to promote private investment, and accelerate the pace of implementing major strategic projects and public-private partnership projects.
Under the framework of the Tenth Five-Year Development Plan, Oman launched significant projects, including the full operation of Port of Duqm, the operation of the Liwa Plastic Industries Complex in Saham, and investment initiation in the fish and food industries zone at Duqm Fisheries Port, along with commencing production from the Ghazeer field, which aims to provide additional energy for local industries.
Dominating Global Indicators and Rankings
The development plans adopted by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq have contributed to numerous successes reflected in global indicators relevant to various sectors. Oman advanced 10 positions on the Global Innovation Index for the year 2023 released by the World Intellectual Property Organization. Additionally, Oman ranked 50th globally on the Government Readiness Index for Artificial Intelligence.
In 2022, Oman ranked first globally on the International Express Mail Service Index among the member countries of the Universal Postal Union, which includes 190 countries. This classification reflects a significant progress in line with global requirements and developments, as Oman climbed 74 spots in just two years, from 75th place in 2020.
The Alpha Liner index, specialising in container shipping services ranking, positioned the Omani Container Transport Company, a subsidiary of the Oman Shipping Company in the Asyad Group, 55th globally, praising its excellence in container shipping capacity on regional and global maritime routes.
The World Trade Organization commended Oman’s efforts in facilitating global trade, confirming that Oman has fulfilled the requirements of the Trade Facilitation Agreement by 100%.
In the UN Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) annual maritime transport report for 2020, Oman ranked first globally in container ship handling speed, with an average of 12.5 hours for container ships’ stay, including entry, exit, loading, and unloading operations.
Oman is connected to 86 commercial ports in 40 countries worldwide with 200 direct weekly trips. Oman plans to be among the top 10 countries in global logistics performance by 2040, with the transportation and communications sector becoming the second-largest source of national income.
Empowering Women
His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq has adopted numerous policies and programmes aimed at empowering women and increasing their active participation in the decision-making process, empowering them politically, socially, and economically.
This is something His Majesty has repeatedly emphasised, including during the speech delivered on February 23, 2020, stressing the importance of the Omani woman and her vital role in nation-building. His Majesty stated: “We are keen for Omani women to enjoy their rights guaranteed by law and to work alongside men in various fields in service to their country and society.”
In the first ministerial lineup during the reign of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, which took place on August 18, 2020, three female ministers were appointed to important ministerial positions. They are Dr. Madiha bint Ahmed Al Shibaniyah, Minister of Education, Dr. Rahma bint Ibrahim Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation, and Leila bint Ahmed bin Awadh Al Najjar, Minister of Social Development.
Social Protection
His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq has been keen on providing a general umbrella for social protection and care through various measures and legislations. In this regard, the Social Protection Law was issued in July 2023 and came into effect in January 2024, aiming to enhance the quality of life for all citizens in line with the principles and vision of Oman 2040.
Under the Social Protection Law, many services are provided, benefiting 1.467 million citizens, with the number of beneficiaries of children being 2.3 million, in addition to monthly financial support for people with disabilities.
Advancing Education
His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq has been keen on developing education at all levels, prioritising it in government strategic plans. In this regard, the government directed the implementation of a comprehensive plan to develop the education sector in collaboration with major international educational institutions. This effort has led Oman to rank tenth globally in the education pillar within the Global Innovation Index for 2022, advancing 34 positions from 2021.
Efforts were made to provide educational services in all governorates of Oman, with 1,182 government schools, 370 kindergarten schools, and 292 private schools, in addition to 383 integrated classrooms to provide distinguished educational services for people with disabilities. In May 2023, the School Education Law was issued to enhance the teaching profession and elevate the status of teachers.
In higher education, Sultan Qaboos University was ranked among the top 1000 universities globally for the year 2021 by the British magazine Times Higher Education, after witnessing significant progress in innovation and patents.
Environmental and Climate Protection
Efforts to protect the environment and climate are among the priorities of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq. The Omani government has taken serious steps to protect the environment and climate, setting 2050 as the deadline for achieving carbon neutrality.
Additionally, Oman established the Oman Center for Sustainability and inaugurated the Ibri Solar Energy Project, among other measures aimed at addressing the consequences of climate change. In 2022, His Majesty issued a Royal Decree to establish the Al Mughsail Natural Reserve in the Governorate of Dhofar, the first reserve in Dhofar and the 22nd in Oman.