MUSCAT : Oman on Sunday opened the Together Forward forum as part of efforts to strengthen communication between the government and society and listen to citizens’ views and aspirations across a range of sectors.
The forum was inaugurated by His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, in line with directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to enhance public engagement and participatory dialogue. The forum runs for two days.
Speaking at the opening, His Excellency Sheikh Al Fadl bin Mohammed Al Harthy, Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, said the forum reflects a growing national awareness of the importance of partnership between government and society in shaping development priorities.
He said the forum would be expanded to Oman’s governorates beginning in 2027, allowing wider participation and ensuring that citizens across the Sultanate contribute to defining priorities for the next stage of development. The move, he said, aims to deepen dialogue, strengthen inclusiveness and align outcomes more closely with local needs and aspirations.
In a panel session on “Investment outlook in priority economic sectors”, Oman Investment Authority President His Excellency Abdulsalam Al Murshidi said profitability was a “red line” in all of the authority’s investments, adding that it would not pursue financially unviable projects, even if they were government-backed.
He said priority was given to projects that enhance local content, create jobs for Omanis and make use of national resources and infrastructure. Al Murshidi added that the authority was focusing on developing large-scale tourism projects worth tens and hundreds of millions of rials to build infrastructure and attract visitors, while leaving smaller activities to the private sector without competing with it.
Al Murshidi said around 60% of the authority’s investments were within Oman, with 40% abroad, noting that overseas investments were directed to support the domestic economy by opening markets and transferring technology. Investment decisions, he said, were based on seizing opportunities, flexibility and updating priorities annually in line with economic changes to enhance competitiveness.
He stressed that the government’s role was to enable the market, create opportunities and prepare the investment environment, while the private sector should lead operations and direct commercial activities.
Responding to questions, Al Murshidi said mature companies and projects would be listed on the stock exchange to allow private sector and citizen ownership, including in sectors previously dominated by the state such as oil and gas. He added that non-viable companies had been closed to avoid financial losses, with priority given to redeploying affected employees within authority-owned firms and related entities, noting that more than 99% had been re-employed, with only limited individual cases remaining.
The forum’s second panel session brought together senior officials from transport, economic zones, tourism, commerce and the private sector. Officials said Together Forward has become an annual national platform for dialogue and social partnership, with more than 8,600 people registered and over 2,000 attending in person.
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