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After weathering a succession of external shocks in recent years, Qatar’s trade and investment outlook is promising in the short and medium term. Years of low oil and gas prices, the 2017-21 economic blockade and the Covid-19 pandemic have all affected the flow of cross-border commrce and finance. The authorities are leveraging the 2022 FIFA World Cup to showcase Qatar’s wider economic opportunities, which benefit from the country’s strengthened regulatory regime, reformed administrative processes, and digitalised trade and investment operations. Qatar has actively sought foreign investment and amended laws to facilitate higher foreign ownership rates. Performance in the areas of trade and investment is set to improve further as countries around the world recover from the economic effects of the pandemic. This chapter contains interviews with Sheikh Ali Al Waleed Al Thani, CEO, Investment Promotion Agency Qatar; Fahad Rashid Al Kaabi, CEO, Manateq; and Abdulrahman Hesham Al Sowaidi, Acting CEO, Qatar Development Bank.

Since gaining independence in 1971 Qatar has developed into an economic, political and cultural powerhouse in the Middle East. With a relatively small population and substantial revenue generated from having the third-largest proven natural gas reserves globally, Qatar has one of the world’s highest GDP per capita, at nearly $62,000 at current prices and $103,000 in purchasing power parity in 2022, according to IMF estimates. The country is recognised in the international arena for many reasons, such as its extensive portfolio of investment abroad and substantial infrastructure projects at home, the latter of which led to the population growing by an estimated 50% between 2010 and 2020 due to an influx of foreign workers. This chapter contains a viewpoint from HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar.

As with other countries around the world, Qatar’s economy was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and its wide-ranging effects in global markets, including disruptions to supply chains, a downturn in foreign and domestic travel, and a drop in international oil prices. Despite these pressures, the country was able to emerge from the crisis in a position to leverage the global recovery to support its diversification drive. The General Secretariat for Development Planning is charged with monitoring the implementation of Qatar National Vision 2030, and the country is rounding out its second National Development Strategy for 2018-22 this year. While uncertainties remain over the trajectory of the global and domestic recovery, as well as about the longer-term trend of oil and gas prices, a number of factors indicate that Qatar is on course for a strong performance in 2022 and beyond.

This chapter contains interviews with Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Thani, Minister of Commerce and Industry; Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman, Qatar Chamber; and Ahmad Al Sayed, Minister of State and Chairman, Qatar Free Zones Authority.

This chapter introduces the reader to the different aspects of the legal system in Ghana in partnership with B&P Associates. It also contains a viewpoint with Adelaide Benneh Prempeh, Founder, B&P Associates.

Industry has been a significant source of economic growth for Ghana in recent years, a trend that continued despite the Covid-19 pandemic. While in the past industrial development has been tied to resource endowments such as cocoa, mining and crude oil, diversification of the industrial sector has been a priority of the government since 2017, with a series of fiscal measures aimed at tackling structural challenges. Similarly, Ghana’s retail sector has expanded in recent years, bolstered by rising living standards and lower levels of unemployment. This trend continued into 2021, despite a modest slowdown in response to the pandemic when social-distancing measures resulted in falling foot traffic in shopping venues. Overall, the continued expansion of e-commerce has the potential to support the country’s long-term economic recovery. This chapter contains interviews with Hayssam Fakhry, Managing Director, Interplast; and Ramesh Sadhwani, Co-CEO, Melcom.