In October 2018, as part of its efforts to drive foreign direct investment (FDI) and industrial diversification, Qatar pledged to invest $3bn in new free zones (FZs) and industrial clusters around key logistics centres. According to the Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZA), the Umm Al Houl Free Zone will open near the Hamad International Port in the first quarter of 2019. A second FZ adjacent…
Work is expected to begin on the second phase of the Hamad Port’s development in 2019 after approval was granted by the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The seaport gave the blockaded peninsula a vital lifeline in 2017 and enabled it to continue trading in non-oil goods throughout 2018, achieving significant milestones along the way. With further expansion, Qatar looks set to carve…
Qatar has allocated QR1bn ($274.6m) from its 2019 budget of QR206.7bn ($56.8bn) to the expansion of Hamad International Airport (HIA), with Qatar Airways, the nation’s flag carrier, forging new links for air passengers and cargo in the first quarter of 2019. As part of the annual budget statement announced by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of Qatar, in December 2018, funds will be…
In its Qatar National Vision 2030 development plan, the country has identified infrastructure building as key to engendering “a dynamic and more diversified economy”. Added to this long-term outlook is the impetus created by hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, during which athletes and spectators from around the world will play in Qatar’s stadiums, stay in its hotels and move around its…
Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is an important priority in Qatar’s education development policies as the country seeks to build a highly skilled workforce. TVET centres are continuing to expand their offerings of evening and part-time courses to accommodate schedules of those already employed and encourage ongoing professional development. REGIONAL STRATEGY Vocational…
Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030) aims to improve the country’s sustainable development and increase the standard of living. The blueprint identifies four pillars of development: human, social, economic and environmental. Research and innovation have the potential to spur tangible results in each of these areas, whether through improving the efficacy of health care, or technological innovations…
Qatar has launched the second tier of its National Health Strategy (NHS) to deliver “better health, better care and better value” as part of Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030). While the first NHS 2011-16 emphasised an acute, curative, hospital-based approach and included important foundational work, the NHS 2018-22 phase introduces a more preventive and community-based model aimed at…
As part of its strategy to achieve economic diversification, Qatar has made the promotion of the sports industry a major development goal. Indeed, the achievement of sports excellence forms an explicitly stated objective of the Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030). The country has played host to major international sporting events for over a decade, with its first significant breakthrough…
Aided by easier and cheaper travel, global tourism has experienced two decades of almost uninterrupted growth. According to the World Bank, the number of international departures more than doubled between 1997 and 2017, from 687m to 1.57bn per annum. With the global middle class estimated by the US-based think tank Brookings Institution to be expanding by as many as 160m people per year, it…
The 2016 slump in oil prices led the Qatari government to identify industries with high growth potential in a diversified economy. Tourism was among the sectors prioritised due to the opportunities presented by infrastructure investment and major events such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The sector’s promising performance comes amid the backdrop of a regional blockade led by Saudi Arabia and…
