Commitment to Vision 2040

for International Relations and Cooperation. Other ministries and departments have been either removed or merged, including five governmental councils. The 26 ministries have been pared down to 19. Other operational changes included: i. Establishment of a private office headed by Hamad bin Saeed Al Aufi, to oversee the operations of the civil ministries, reporting directly to the

Sultan.3

ii. Establishment of Oman Investment Authority to oversee and coordinate the operations of Oman’s fifty-plus state-owned companies. The royal decrees issued in August 2020 created a new ministry, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth, led by His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said. The Sultan also appointed some members of the elected Shura Council to the Cabinet of Ministers, integrating them into his new government. The focus of the new technocratic government is the economy, and most of the institutions that underwent top-level change are related to the economy, including the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, the Ministries of National Economy, Finance, Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Investment Promotion, and the Ministry of Labour4 . If the late Sultan Qaboos could bring in a spectacular arc of developments in Oman, ushering the country into the modern world, then the new Sultan’s success will consist of transforming the country from an oil-dependent economy to a more balanced socio-economic model.

Commitment to Vision 2040

In a move to accelerate the Oman Vision 2040 roadmap, of which His Majesty Sultan Haitham has been a key proponent over the past several years, there will also be oversight in the form of an Implementation Follow-up Unit. Oman Vision 2040 is the Sultanate’s gateway to overcome challenges, keep pace with regional and global changes, generate and seize opportunities to foster economic competitiveness and social well-being, stimulate growth, and build confidence in all economic, social and developmental relations nationwide. The main aim of the Oman Vision 2040 is the government’s strategy to

3 Sievers, M J (2020, June 11). ‘Sultan Haitham makes a strong start by addressing economic challenges’. 4 DeLozie, E. (2020, August 19). ‘Oman’s Sultan Devolves Some of His Powers to New

Cabinet’. The Washington Institute.