The first phase of the Manjam Lab, a pivotal initiative to reduce bureaucracy in government services, began here on Monday with the attendance of a number of ministers and high-level government and public sector officials.
The initiative, which was first unveiled in January with the participation of 22 government institutions, has successfully simplified the procedures for 145 government services, reducing the average number of steps by 53 per cent and the average time for providing these services by 73 per cent.
The first phase of the Manjam Lab targeted various government institutions, including the Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Public Authority for Economic Zones and Free Zones, Capital Market Authority, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Environment Authority, Civil Aviation Authority, Supreme Judicial Council, as well as the governorates and municipalities of the Sultanate of Oman.
A team of 17 specialized trainers in continuous improvement and Lean methodology participated in the first phase of the Manjam Lab. Over 300 participants from the main and supporting institutions, along with more than 60 general managers, contributed to the review and accreditation process.
The simplified services in the first phase covered a wide range of areas, such as resolving sentence implementation issues, submitting union and labour federation complaints, requesting prison sentence postponements, amending beneficiary data, inquiring about financial dues, obtaining bank commitment letters, acquiring temporary workers' camp permits, classifying hotel facilities, issuing guide and advertising signs, licensing the import, transport, export, and re-export of radioactive sources, managing the recruitment of non-Omani manpower, publishing advertisements and registering job services, updating commercial registry mortgages, granting conditional approval for the import of valuable metals and stones, registering license issuance bodies for conformity assessment certificates, manufacturing licenses for hazardous chemicals, operating combustion sources under environmental regulations, obtaining waste management licenses, transforming and liquidating public shareholding companies, acquiring permanent registration certificates and navigational licenses for ships and marine units, registering new affiliation certificates, requesting data for private sector companies, recruiting non-Omani manpower, obtaining ship or temporary marine unit registration certificates, and renewing navigational licenses for ships and marine units (permanent and temporary).
In addition to the simplification efforts, the Manjam Lab conducted activities to empower national competencies in managing change and fostering innovation within government services. Specialized courses were provided on design thinking, process engineering, and business analysis. Eight national competencies received training in business analysis, simplification techniques, and procedure re-engineering to enhance their capabilities and develop national expertise.
Phase 1 of the Manjam Lab also involved active community participation, with 126 individuals contributing to the process. They visited service delivery centers and engaged with various institutions on eight different occasions. (Picture: Faisal al Balushi)
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