All Countries and All Sectors

With an eye on developing an Emirati labour force that can meet the requirements of local employers, the Executive Council (EC) of Abu Dhabi recently announced two new programmes that will boost the provision of education and professional training to UAE nationals. The government’s plans include the expansion of a scholarship fund for university students, as well as the establishment of additional vocational schools at the secondary level.

With a large domestic market and a substantial local manufacturing base, Egypt’s auto retail sector is one of the largest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Sales have been hit by the recent political instability and economic slowdown, but pent-up demand is expected to help the recovery accelerate from its currently sluggish pace. This will have a knock-on effect for the manufacturing sector, which is gearing up for resurgence.

The Kingdom is encouraging some of its sharia-compliant banks to join forces to be better capitalised and equipped to deal with an increasingly turbulent and competitive global market.

As the country’s hosting of several major international sports and business events has brought growing numbers of tourists to Qatar, it has also highlighted the need for infrastructure to accommodate them.

In an encouraging testament to the country’s push to increase the size of its services sector, Ghana has seen an impressive rise in visitor arrivals over the past few years, and capital investments look set to help provide the foundation for continued growth. However, capitalising on much of the still-latent potential will require investment and imagination.

Building contractors in Kuwait will be hoping that the roll out of the state’s $108bn national development plan drives up activity in the sector, although political wrangling and red tape could mean key projects struggle to meet their 2014 deadlines.