Oman’s National Program for Digital Economy aims to raise the digital economy’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) from 2 percent currently to 10 percent by 2040, stated Dr. Ali Amer Al Shidhani, undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology for Communications and Information Technology, during his participation in the 33rd edition of COMEX Global Technology Show 2024.
Al Shidhani stated that the volume of investments in the communications and information technology sector since Oman launched the National Program for Digital Economy reached more than $2.5 billion. Most of this investment has gone into communications technologies, data storage and processing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, space technology and semiconductors.
COMEX Global Technology Show 2024
Al Shidhani added that the value of agreements and projects announced at COMEX 2024 is almost 60 percent higher than those announced at COMEX 2023, reaching $155.87 million on the opening day alone.
The projects span different digital areas, including developing technical infrastructure, digital economy, and technology. Al Shidhani also highlighted the role of the Omani Investment Authority in supporting technology projects across the country, further driving the growth of the digital economy.
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Among the most notable agreements during COMEX 2024 include establishing the largest national data center by Oman Data Park and Middle East Information Systems Company with an investment of $25 million in phase one. The show also witnessed a strategic partnership between Omantel and Google to set up a regional center for edge cloud services with an investment of $5.20 million. Moreover, it saw another agreement with Amazon Cloud Services to create a sovereign cloud service center and an integrated e-commerce platform in Oman with an investment exceeding $62 million.
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