Oman’s Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ) has set 30 June, 2023, as the last day for receiving and sending paper transactions. This comes as part of its plan towards digital transformation in line with the government’s efforts to boost e-governance. It further reflects the sustained environmentally friendly efforts and initiatives, including the authority’s recently launched paperless campaign, aimed at reducing the use of paper and converting workplaces into environmentally friendly sites.
The move will help to accelerate the pace of digital transformation. All transactions and services provided by OPAZ and its affiliated zones to investors will be fully automated, thereby eliminating paperwork.
As part of the digital transformation plan, OPAZ had stopped printing and receiving paper documents and transactions at the one-stop station in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZD) last year, replaced paper business cards of employees with the short-range wireless Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the employee’s ID card, and introduced electronic alternatives to transfer and share files, documents, and transactions among employees instead of using printed copies.
OPAZ implemented the use of internal online portal for employees, FileCloud platform for secure data storage, issued cadastral maps electronically to investors, and activated the Wusool system for the management of electronic documents.
By June end, OPAZ will stop receiving paper transactions, except for some with private entities and classified mails to and from government bodies. “The paperless campaign elaborates the efforts of OPAZ and its interest in achieving one of the key objectives of Oman Vision 2040 of digitalizing the transactions and services provided to investors and beneficiaries, as well as adopting this transformation in our day-to-day activities, especially at the workplace. This is mirrored in the usage of digital platforms and electronic alternatives instead of printing on paper,” elaborates Adil Al Raqadi, Director of IT, OPAZ.
