Qatar

Although there is still another decade before the World Cup kicks off in Doha in 2022, the country is rapidly implementing a massive investment programme that seeks to transform Qatar into a global centre for sports and business. While the bulk of these construction projects will be financed with public resources, Qatar’s approach looks to leverage...

While it has been a tough 24 months for many construction firms in Qatar, the sector remains a key pillar of the national economy. The industry is one of the largest non-hydrocarbons sectors, and will likely increase in importance in the next decade.

The construction sector is increasingly being driven by investments in core infrastructure to support future growth in the country. The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 indicates that inadequate infrastructure is the fourth most problematic factor for doing business in the country. The government has acknowledged...

Having gone from being a minor actor on the world energy stage to a pivotal player in less than a decade as part of an expansive strategy, Qatar has tapped its vast gas reserves by engaging international oil companies (IOCs) and building a comprehensive infrastructure network. This approach, which has allowed it to become the largest liquefied...

Worldwide, broadband bandwidth is on the rise. Between 2005 and 2010, international bandwidth, measured by bits per second (bit/s) per user grew more than fivefold from 5464 to 28,772, according to the UN’s International Telecommunications Union (ITU). In Arab states, the trend was twice as fast, with bit/s per user growing more than 10-fold. That...

Rapid demographic and economic expansion over the past decade has placed a substantial burden on Qatar’s power sector. The government has risen to this challenge, tapping the country’s vast natural gas reserves to fuel the roll-out of a number of independent water and power projects (IWPPs). Unlike many of its counterparts, Qatar has avoided a power...