Trade & Investment
From The Report: Qatar 2020
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Qatar’s wealth of hydrocarbons puts it at the centre of global trade, with its liquefied natural gas feeding factories in China and powers stations in Japan, while its helium is used in everything from MRI scanners to aircraft parts. Qatar’s rapid economic growth in the past two and a half decades should help the trade sector weather the challenges it faces in 2020. On the home front, investors are working to develop industrial segments that can draw on Qatar’s multiple economic strengths to make innovative products that can leverage its modern port and airport infrastructure to develop new overseas markets. This chapter contains interviews with Fahad Rashid Al Kaabi, CEO, Manateq; and Ali Al Waleed Al Thani, CEO, Investment Promotion Agency.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Export focused: Attracting new businesses to diversify the export base
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Qatar’s wealth of hydrocarbons puts it at the centre of global trade, with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) feeding factories in China and powers stations in Japan, while its helium is used in everything from MRI scanners to aircraft parts. The revenue that has flowed into Qatar in the two and a half decades since gas exports were first shipped from its ports has enabled the country to build an investment portfolio that includes prominent London landmarks, as well as significant stakes in…

Interview

Complete solutions: Fahad Rashid Al Kaabi, CEO, Manateq, on utilising advanced technologies to enhance cargo handling
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Interview:Fahad Rashid Al Kaabi Where are the opportunities for investment in the downstream industry, specifically with industry verticals like plastics and petrochemicals? FAHAD RASHID AL KAABI: Qatar is open for business, and recent laws stimulating foreign direct investment (FDI) have further opened up the nation to global investors. Companies from around the world are showing great interest in tapping into Qatar’s expansive investment opportunities, especially those arising from new…

Overview

Shifting trade winds: Regional integration among emerging economies and a raft of new multilateral agreements
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Global trade faces protectionist headwinds that are dampening the outlook for growth in the coming years. In a projection issued even before Covid-19 began to seriously disrupt the global economy in early 2020, the World Trade Organisation expected growth in trade volumes to ease to 2.6% in 2019 before rebounding to 3% in 2020. This would be the first time since the 2007-08 global financial crisis that growth fell below a 3% average, as business confidence was affected by significant uncertainty driven by US-China trade tensions, Brexit and wariness surrounding the US' departure from several multilateral trade agreements. Trade flows in…

Interview

Sending a message: Ali Al Waleed Al Thani, CEO, Investment Promotion Agency (IPA), on new initiatives aimed at improving the investment climate
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Interview:Ali Al Waleed Al Thani What are the core responsibilities of the IPA, and what agencies does it collaborate with? ALI AL WALEED AL THANI: The IPA’s goal is to attract investment to Qatar and create growth and prosperity for the country, investors and the entities we represent alike. To achieve this, we support local companies across a variety of sectors seeking to attract investment. We have partnerships with organisations such as the Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZA), the Qatar…