SALALAH: Oman has signed a RO 904,123 contract to build 21 homes for eligible families in Habroot, a remote community in Dhofar near the border with Yemen, with handover scheduled for late 2028.
The agreement signed on Wednesday, October 28, moves a previously announced housing commitment into the construction stage. It sets out the cost and delivery timetable for homes in the Habroot Triangle area of Al Mazyunah, rather than adding a new allocation of houses.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning signed the agreement with Rikan, the Energy Sector Social Responsibility Development Foundation, in partnership with the Oman Charity Organisation (OCO). Eng Khalfan bin Masoud al Naabi, Director-General of Housing and Urban Planning in Dhofar, signed for the ministry, while Eng Mohammed bin Ali al Shanfari, Rikan’s Manager of Project Execution, signed for the foundation.
The contract follows a wider funding agreement announced on October 7, under which Rikan pledged more than RO 2 million towards 71 homes. That programme includes the 21 units in Habroot and 50 other homes under the housing assistance programme across Oman.
Construction is expected to take 730 calendar days. Each home will have 199 square metres of built-up space, with three bedrooms, a majlis (traditional reception room), living room, kitchen and service facilities, as well as a separate perimeter wall. The overall contract value is equivalent to about RO 43,054 per home, although this is an average of the agreement value, not a disclosed individual construction price.
Construction work has been assigned to Omran Construction and Works, with Hima Engineering Consultancy responsible for site supervision and monitoring progress against the agreed timetable.
Saeed bin Amer al Harasi, Head of the Housing Programmes Monitoring and Community Partnership Section at the ministry, said the project followed a nationwide study of villages, particularly remote settlements where families face housing needs and limited access to essential services. He said the circumstances of prospective beneficiaries had been examined and eligibility requirements checked before the project was approved.
Ahmed bin Said al Maashani, Director of the Housing Department at the ministry’s Dhofar directorate, said field visits and the remote-villages study had helped identify the specific housing needs in Habroot. The development, he said, was intended to provide suitable accommodation and strengthen family stability in the border community.
Al Shanfari said Rikan’s contribution formed part of the energy sector’s social responsibility commitments and its cooperation with government and charitable organisations to improve living conditions for eligible families.
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