Food production in the GCC has long faced obstacles ranging from water scarcity to a lack of arable soil – factors that are being exacerbated by climate change. Prior to Covid-19, imports accounted for 85% of the region’s collective food needs. However, the disruption to global supply chains precipitated by the pandemic – as well as the more recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia – has underlined…
In the wake of a period of severe disruption to global trade, Gulf shipping and logistics companies are adapting to government efforts to boost self-sufficiency in the region, while also investing in corporate digital solutions to improve communication with stakeholders, and predict and mitigate challenges along the supply chain. Looking ahead, shipping and logistics companies face growing sustainability…
– Increased demand and supply shortages have pushed oil prices to nearly $100 per barrel – The high-price environment could give rise to an increase in drilling and coal usage – Energy companies and governments say they will use the windfall to invest in renewables – Oil-producing countries in the Gulf have expanded their renewable energy commitments Amid an increase in global demand…
Faced with a significant rise in demand for health care services during the pandemic, technology has proven to be a useful tool in overcoming the capacity limits of health care facilities in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE. This report looks at how each of these markets reacted to the pandemic in its initial stages, the role of digital health services in improving access to information and…
Oxford Business Group (OBG) began its CEO Survey in 2016 with the aim of giving our clients a handle on sentiment in the various markets we cover. Sentiment is of course intangible, but it is an all-important factor in the decisions business people and investors make when they weigh up their risk appetite. In turn, sentiment informs the level of confidence with which they view a market. It is also…
Despite facing a set of extraordinary external and internal challenges over the past several years, the Jordanian economy remained resilient in 2015, with real GDP growth reaching 2.4% that year. The government is working with the IMF to implement fiscal reform policies, supported by low global oil prices, to reduce the kingdom’s fuel import bill, which should have seen GDP growth and major macroeconomic…
All eyes were understandably on Vienna at the end of June, and the gathering of oil ministers from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Their decision to increase output was endorsed by the non-OPEC producers who signed up to the original cuts 18 months ago. Oil prices are a thorny issue for the Gulf economies as their diversification strategies accelerate. On…
Significant progress in implementing an IMF-backed reform agenda in 2016 marked a turning point for the economy, helping Jordan reduce its budget deficit and bring GDP growth in constant prices from a 25-year low of 2% in 2016 to 2.2% the following year. While the latter figure was still below target, the Jordan Economic Growth Plan 2018-22 aims to put the country back on track towards meeting its…
Although priorities vary when it comes to economic development, the increasing need for skilled labour is both a cause of and a requirement for accelerated growth that spans markets and continents. This demand for technical specialists from Mexico to Indonesia is often most concentrated in the sectors that are vital to economic advancement, including infrastructure, oil and gas exploration…