The Acting Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development Yahia Al-Oqaili unveiled Tuesday that the state development plan for 2015-2020 envisions six strategic and 105 short-term goals.
The unveiling was by Al-Oqaili during a meeting that brought together officials of the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development and government agencies to discuss the main features of the state development plan for (2015-2020).
The meeting also tackled the council's mechanisms for preparing the annual development plans and following up the government implementation of the plans.
He stated that the new plan sets a number of goals, policies and targets to be achieved during the next five years.
The development plan detailed the strategic projects that it aims to execute during the coming five years as well as the required legislative and institutional reforms to accomplish its goals and policies, Al-Oqaili said.
He pointed that the development plan comprises two tracks; the first aims to address the current challenges and imbalances, including the economic and development challenges such as diversifying the economy, increasing private sector's role in development, addressing imbalances in state budget, encouraging foreign direct investments, developing the country's infrastructure, adopting an integrated and comprehensive urban development strategy and tackling human resources and social challenges.
It also includes improving the quality of public education and healthcare services, empowering the youth, fighting corruption and the enhancing efficiency of the state's administrative apparatus.
The second track aims to develop the northern region of the country to be a commercial center for the state and create the appropriate conditions to turn it into a regional commercial hub.
Al-Oqaili noted the Council started designing the five-year plan on 23 January, 2014 and took five months to complete.
Then the plan was delivered to the cabinet which approved it on June 17 and referred it to the National Assembly for discussion and approval, he said.