Oman: Ministries and government bodies merged under new Royal Decrees

Merge 104.8  |  18 August 2020

His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik has issued 28 Royal Decrees on Tuesday [August 18]. Among them are:

1.The establishment of the Ministry of Culture and Sports and Youth, which will consist of the Ministry of Sport Affairs, the Ministry of Art Affairs, the National Youth Committee, and and those employees in culture-related departments from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage. These ministries will no longer be standalone entities and will fall under the umbrella of the new ministry.

2. The merger of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Legal Affairs which will now be the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs.

3. The establishment of the Ministry of Labour which will be comprised of the Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry of Civil Service, the Civil Service Council, the National Fund for Training, and the National Centre of Employment. These ministries and government bodies will no longer be standalone entities and will fall under the umbrella of the new Ministry of Labour.

4. The establishment of the Ministry of Transport, Telecommunication and Information Technology, which will be comprised of the Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Technology and Telecommunication. These ministries and government bodies will no longer be standalone entities and will fall under the umbrella of the new ministry.

5. The Ministry of Culture and Heritage will be renamed the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism. The current Ministry of Tourism will be dissolved and its employees will be transferred to the new ministry.

6. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will now be named the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.

The Public Authority for Stores and Food Reserves will be dissolved as a standalone entity.

7. The Ministry of Housing will now be renamed the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning.

8. The Establishment of the Ministry of Economy, which will see the Supreme Council for Planning absorbed under the new ministry.

9. The Public Authority for Radio and TV, the Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising, and the Media Training Centre will be dissolved as standalone entities and will now fall under the Ministry of Information.

10. The Ministry of Oil and Gas will now be renamed the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, and the Public Authority for Mining will be dissolved as a standalone entity.

11. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry will now be renamed the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Investment.

The divisions of Ithraa, and the Competition Protection and Monopoly Prevention Centre have been dissolved.

12. The Ministry of Higher Education will now be renamed the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and Innovation.

The Research Council has also been dissolved.

13. The establishment of the National Centre for Information Statistics, which will fall under the Ministry of Economy.

14. The dissolution of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs and the establishment of the Authority of Environment, which will be administratively and financially independent under the Council of Ministers.

Employees of former ministry will join the new authority except for those employees in climate affairs divisions.

15. The Al Rufd Fund and the Riyada Fund will be dissolved and their functions absorbed under the new SME Development Authority.

16. The Public Authority for Handicrafts will be dissolved and its function absorbed under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

17. The Public Authority for Privatization and Partnership has been dissolved and its function absorbed under the Ministry of Economy.