Tuesday 04 / November / 2025
Khasab: Musandam Governorate receives special attention from His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.
Plans were laid out in the recent past to establish a qualitative leap in developing the Governorate's performance as decentralised institutions with administrative and financial independence and granted prerogatives, enabling them to participate in the planning process and drive economic and social development in the Governorate.
Sayyid Ibrahim Said Al Busaidi, Governor of Musandam, said that the economic and social development strategy for Musandam Governorate, launched with the Ninth Five-Year Development Plan (2015-2020) and continued in the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), focused on completing development in several sectors, such as logistics, and strengthening the health, education, environment, and tourism sectors.
Tourism, Al Busaidi explained, is one of the pillars of the Governorate's economy. He explained that a large part of the approved projects in these plans has been completed, and the rest will be finalised in the Eleventh Five-Year Development Plan (2026-2030).
In an interview with Oman News Agency, the Governor added that with the launch of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan, the Governorate will see the completion of the basic required aspects of development, especially in the logistics and tourism sectors.
He noted that the education and health sectors in Musandam are growing and have witnessed significant development since the start of the Tenth Five-Year Plan and will be completed in the first three years of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan.
He clarified that the geographical environment of Musandam Governorate, overlooking the seas and surrounded by towering mountains, has created a competitive advantage for it, but at the same time, it posed a development challenge due to the difficulty of the terrain.
Despite this, the Governorate managed to utilise optimally some mountainous plateaus. He indicated that the Office of the Governor of Musandam, in coordination with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, has begun planning for the mountainous areas to become the future urban centres of the Governorate over the next five decades, creating major investment opportunities.
He affirmed that the funds allocated for the Governorate during the Tenth Five-Year Development Plan were utilised, and additional amounts were added to develop various sectors, especially the municipal sector.
He explained that in the Eleventh Five-Year Development Plan, this concept will be reinforced to integrate development programmes with the Governorate's development.
Al Busaidi indicated that the focus is on strengthening the logistics sector in Musandam Governorate to deliver and export goods and facilitate the movement of the community, whether internal movement due to the Governorate's geographical nature or movement within and outside the Sultanate of Oman.
He emphasised the importance of enhancing port development in Musandam Governorate, as most of its Wilayats overlook the sea. Jetties were added in the Wilayat of Bukha for fishermen, and the port in the Wilayat centre is being maintained.
Furthermore, the Khasab Port investment was tendered to become a commercial port, and the maritime harbors in Lima and Kumzar are being maintained.
He noted that the waterfronts in the main residential areas of the Governorate are being developed.
The Governor of Musandam stated that the government has invested approximately OMR40 million in the Dibba Port, where the completion rate has reached about 95 percent, and it is expected to open by the end of this year. It involves several sectors, including transport, tourism, agriculture, fisheries, and the security sector, forming an integrated system prepared to develop the Wilayat of Daba and other Wilayats in the Governorate.
Regarding the urban development of coastal villages, he explained that a project to develop these villages has begun, and the development of a number of other coastal villages will be added in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan to complete urban development and services in those villages, along with recreational and beautification services that will improve the well-being of the community.
He added that work on the land connectivity within Musandam Governorate is proceeding rapidly. The completion rate for the Sultan Faisal bin Turki Road has exceeded 56 percent, which is 6 percent ahead of schedule, with a cost of RO 152 million.
It is a vital and main road connecting the Wilayats of Dibba and Khasab, passing through Lima.
It is also planned to improve the efficiency of the Khasab-Bukha Road in the future. He noted that the best ways to connect coastal villages in the Wilayat of Khasab, such as "Khor Sham," "Ghub Ali," and Kumzar village, will be studied to facilitate movement and access to these villages, whether by sea or land.
He clarified that a number of internal roads exceeding 120 kilometres are being paved in the residential areas of Musandam Governorate to facilitate the movement of citizens and residents, in addition to establishing parks and waterfronts, rehabilitating and investing in some gardens, and providing opportunities for SMEs there.
The governor stressed the importance of strengthening land crossings through the opening of the land crossing in the Wilayat of Dibba with the United Arab Emirates, which will boost the movement of goods and facilitate the movement of citizens, residents, and visitors to the Governorate in general.
Regarding the New Khasab Airport project, he indicated that the construction of the airport is still in the early stages of planning, and civil aviation traffic will boost air navigation, and consequently, the logistics sector in Musandam Governorate.
On the winter season in Musandam Governorate, His Excellency explained that the "Musandam Winter" season, which runs from November to April each year, has contributed to stimulating tourism and economic activity in Musandam Governorate, attracting various tourists from within and outside the Governorate.
It includes numerous diverse events in most urban areas and coastal Wilayats of the Governorate, with the participation of civil society and the private sector.
Al Busaidi mentioned that marine tourism is currently the most prominent in Musandam Governorate.
A number of local investors have developed boats to provide high-quality services to tourists for the purpose of exploring Musandam's marine environment, directing some enthusiasts towards diving, in addition to hiking and mountain climbing, with all necessary services and training provided for these activities, which have witnessed a large influx of tourists and significant interest recently.
In the education sector in Musandam, he noted that some modern schools have been established, others are in the tendering process, and classrooms are being added in densely populated areas, along with maintenance for some educational facilities. The enhancement of this sector's system and the provision of many classrooms is expected to be completed by the end of the 2026/2027 academic year.
In the health sector, he said that the Referral Hospital in the Wilayat of Khasab will open early next year, Kumzar village will receive a health facility, and a new hospital will be built in the Wilayat of Madha, in addition to ongoing maintenance in most health facilities in the Governorate.
