All Countries and All Sectors

Plans to introduce compulsory health insurance in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) are expected to usher in a wave of new private sector investment, a response to a forecast rise in demand for specialised services. To do so, the emirate is also stepping up efforts to attract and retain trained staff in an increasingly competitive market.

The Kingdom is moving toward finalising plans to refurbish its only oil refinery, part of a wider programme that will see the Gulf’s first oil producer increase its focus on value-added downstream activities, rather than depending on its ever-decreasing reserves for revenue.

The coming years pose considerable challenges to Papua New Guinea’s (PNG’s) agriculture sector as it continues to come down from the record highs it achieved in 2011. However, increased financial support from the government, as well as several planned infrastructure developments, should help the sector keep pace with overall economic growth.

Al tiempo que el mundo espera la conclusión del proyecto de expansión del Canal de Panamá, los esfuerzos por mejorar la infraestructura de transporte del país han continuado de manera estable. Los cambios más radicales están teniendo lugar en ciudad de Panamá, donde la construcción de un nuevo sistema metro, la descontinuación del obsoleto sistema de buses "diablo rojo" y el mejoramiento de varias de las principales vías del país deberían contribuir al alivio de la congestión generada por el rápido crecimiento de la capital.

An overhaul of driving regulations and the launch of a national transportation master plan are hoped to improve links in Brunei Darussalam as the country aims to play a central role in a regional trade grouping. However, convincing Bruneians to choose public transport, rather than their vehicles, appears to be a major challenge.

After several years of strong demand growth, the economic slowdown and investment uncertainty associated with the 2011 revolution and its aftermath have dampened steel consumption in Egypt, leaving potential supply above demand. This gap partly explains the government’s decision to impose import tariffs, the rationale being that Egypt should not need imports if its domestic supply outstrips its own needs. For steel consumers, however, it is not necessarily that simple. They feel they should be free to import cheaper foreign products.