Muscat, Oman – Saeed bin Hamoud Al Maawali, Omani Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, has said that the digital economy of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is advancing at a rapid and significant pace, noting its major importance to GDP.
He noted the importance of promoting cooperation between the GCC and its international partners to increase the pace of digital transformation.
Speaking on the sidelines of ICT Competition Middle East Regional Finals 2022, Al Maawali highlighted the importance of relevant digital economy plans and programs.
He said there was a need to enhance the cooperation between the UAE and Oman in developing the digital economy infrastructure, and attracting international investments in emerging technologies and digital industry.
He affirmed Oman’s keenness to train creative talents, through a national initiative for qualifying competencies, titled, “Makeen,” which aims to attract creative minds in the GCC, especially in Oman, as well as launch other national initiatives in the areas of self-employment, competition and software development, and encouraging the private sector.
Al Maawali added that the selection of Muscat as the Arab Digital Capital for 2022 underscores the significant efforts of national authorities to progress towards the era of digitisation and digital transformation, stressing that Oman aims to offer incentives for digital companies and exchange information.
He then pointed out the many areas of cooperation with the UAE in the areas of legislation, policies and laws related to smart transport, promoting partnerships with the private sector in creating investment solutions for smart transport and the transformation to sustainable clean transport, to achieve carbon neutrality in the transport sector and support research and development and technical training for workers, and other fields.