The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology Organises a Workshop to Enhance Oman’s Performance in the United Nations E-Government Survey

: The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT), through the Government Digital Transformation Programme, "Tahawul", held a workshop to improve Oman’s performance in the United Nations E-Government Survey. It also served as a platform to share experiences and best practices in digital transformation, particularly in digital governance with the participation of the targeted government entities in the survey, which are concerned with improving digital services in key sectors, and the National Competitiveness Office at the Ministry of Economy.

 The two-day workshop, held on 3^rd and 4^th December, focused on updates of the Government Digital Transformation Programme, key performance indicators, the implementation plan and major digital projects in the government sector. It also addressed the programme’s goals, aligned with Oman Vision 2040, which aim to position Oman among the top 10 countries globally out of 193 contries or achieve value (>0,8783) in the United Nations E-Government Survey by 2040 . This survey, issued by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), evaluates countries on their progress in digital government services, service quality and how these services enhance citizens’ lives and increase their participation in digital transformation.

The workshop highlighted the progress of the Government Unified National Portal for Electronic Services that integrates various government services. It focuses on simplifying access for citizens and residents, enabling smooth and efficient transactions, whilst also boosting the local business environment and Oman’s attractiveness for international investments.

Additionally, the workshop focused on the National Programme for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Digital Technologies, which aims to adopt AI in economic and development sectors, localise AI and advanced digital technologies and establish effective governance for AI applications with a human-centred approach. Oman aspires to rank among the top 50 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index, published by Oxford Insights.

Mr Morton Meyerhoff, an expert in the United Nations E-Government Survey, spoke about the importance of the E-Government Development Index in evaluating governments’ progress in digital transformation and its role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. He analysed Oman’s performance across sub-indices, including the Online Service Index (OSI), Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII), Human Capital Index (HCI) and E-Participation Index (EPI). The workshop also explored the success of top-ranking countries to extract valuable lessons and identify best practices for improving digital services. Emphasis was placed on enhancing digital engagement in government entities, with preliminary recommendations provided to further improve Oman’s performance in the index.

The United Nations E-Government Survey, published every two years, ranked Oman 41^st globally out of 193 countries in its 2024 edition, improving from 50^th place in 2022. Oman also ranked 5^th in the Middle East and North Africa region.