The Sultanate of Oman is entering an important growth cycle alongside its long-term ambitions for economic diversification based on innovation and technology.
With Vision 2040 guidelines and support from the Oman National Spatial Strategy, all the governorates are in an acceleration mode in their journey towards smart cities and tap into the wealth of potential for social, economic and environmental development.
According to the strategy, Smart Cities are a national ambition, as a source for growth, jobs and a tool to diversify its economy away from oil exports.
As such, the government has been deploying several pilots and tools to support their emergence throughout the country and increasingly in collaboration with the private sector.
A major part of the strategy is the setting up of ‘greater cities’ that will help provide employment opportunities and infrastructure in alignment with the expected economic and population growth in these cities. These will then integrate with their neighbouring communities.
The strategy also aims to have a framework for land use that supports socio-economic development at national and regional levels. It will allow the government to organise and implement sustainable, high quality urban and rural development and to incentivise environmentally friendly development.
Dr Khalfan bin Said al Shueili, Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, affirms, “the National Strategy is the basic guide for the urban future as it is a spatial template into which various development programmes pour in in an integrated, balanced and multidimensional manner”.
According to the minister, the strategy aims to increase the national workforce to 32 per cent, which is expected to be 3.9 million in 2040, and the percentage of skilled workers to 83.
The strategy aims to increase annual GDP growth by five per cent, contribution of foreign direct investment to GDP by ten per cent, percentage of the population with access to community services by 75 per cent, public spaces for recreation in urban areas by 10sqm/person, and prepare for demand for additional 911,400 housing units.
As a result of this plan, cities such as Greater Muscat, Greater Salalah, Greater Suhar, and Greater Nizwa have been planned for. Duqm, however, will continue to develop in accordance with the rate of its expansion.
Muscat will be made a global city by 2040 – a national gateway that connects the sultanate of Oman to the world. The population of Muscat Governorate will increase to 2.5 million in 2040, with a total workforce of 1.7 million, of which the national workforce will be 75 per cent.
The projected average GDP growth in the governorate will be eight per cent annually.
A number of the governorates are starting to develop distinct specialisation and differentiation in line with the realisation of Vision 2040.
They are drawing on their distinctive geographic characteristics to promote a transition from oil and gas to renewable energy sources and to protect and manage biodiversity, a number of them are starting to develop distinct specialisation and differentiation.
In South Al Batinah, the population is expected to be one million, with a total workforce of 551,000, of which the national workforce will account for 50 per cent. The projected GDP growth in the governorate will be 9.4 per cent annually.
The urban strategy for North Al Batinah includes a plan for it to become one of the main centres for international trade and play a major role in conducting various economic activities by 2040.
Al Buraimi Governorate is projected to be a pioneer nationally in the field of research and employment of green technology. The governorate’s population is expected to reach 182,000 in 2040, with a workforce of 100,000, of which 22 per cent will be citizens.
Al Dhahirah Governorate will witness growth in the fields of logistics, applied engineering, food processing and agricultural advancements.
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