Digital Economy Boosts Oman's GDP by RO 800m: What This Means for Investors and Entrepreneurs

Oman’s digital economy directly contributed roughly RO 800 million to gross domestic product in 2023, according to a new report from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MoTCIT). The report, titled “The Harvest of the Digital Economy in the Sultanate of Oman: From Establishment to Empowerment,” reviews progress made between 2021 and 2025 under the National Digital Economy Programme, launched in 2021 and centred on eight strategic areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, 5G and digital infrastructure.

“The ministry’s ambitious vision to establish a sustainable and advanced digital economy, aligned with the directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik,” said Eng Said bin Hamoud al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, highlighting a government push to enhance digital government services, empower a digital society and support business digitalisation.

Progress, investment and capacity building

Dr Ali bin Amer al Shaithani, Under-Secretary of MoTCIT for Communications and Information Technology, described the programme as “a comprehensive framework designed to foster a knowledge-based economy through advanced technology and innovation.” The report details several measurable achievements and areas for investors to watch:

• Public sector digitisation: 3,166 government services streamlined and 2,277 permits and services digitised, producing more than 29 million digital government transactions annually.
• Data and authentication infrastructure: a national integration platform exchanged 2.26 billion data records, while over 200 million electronic authentication requests were handled with a 94% success rate.
• AI and ecosystem funding: investments in artificial intelligence have surpassed RO 79 million, backing projects such as the National Generative AI Linguistic Model, the Omani Language Model (Ma’een), the Artificial Intelligence Studio and the Oman Digital Triangle; the AI ecosystem now includes around 22 specialised companies.
• Human capital and localisation: the Makeen initiative has trained more than 11,000 Omanis; Omanisation in technical and specialised IT roles reached roughly 69%, representing 45.5% of the IT workforce.
• Cybersecurity and training: about 8,000 Omanis and 5,000 international participants engaged in cybersecurity programmes; the Advanced Cybersecurity Academy delivered nearly 3,000 specialised training sessions for government employees.
• Space and new industries: Oman launched its first experimental rocket from Duqm in 2024 and signed a deal to design and manufacture its first satellite; the space sector now includes 25 companies employing approximately 401 specialists.
• E‑commerce and connectivity: e‑commerce transaction volumes reached approximately RO 288 million in 2025, with more than 14,000 online commercial licences issued and 313 digital stores registered on the Ma’roof Oman platform. Mobile broadband covers about 99% of the population and high‑speed fixed broadband is accessible to 100% of residential units via fibre, 5G or low‑Earth orbit satellite services.

Outlook for investors and entrepreneurs

The report sets an ambitious target for the next phase (2026–2030), including expanding digital transformation centres across governorates, strengthening national cybersecurity companies, developing a local payment card system, enhancing cloud infrastructure and working to raise the digital economy’s share to 10% of GDP by 2040.

Omanet’s analysis points to clear opportunities: “Smart investors and entrepreneurs should consider focusing on tech-driven sectors such as AI startups, e-commerce, and space technology,” aligning with government priorities and the flows of public and private investment identified in the MoTCIT report. For market participants, the combination of capital deployment (notably the RO 79 million in AI), improving infrastructure and a growing talent base creates a window to scale specialised tech businesses — provided they also prioritise robust cybersecurity and regulatory alignment as digital adoption accelerates.