Qatar’s retail sector fared well in 2020 and 2021 despite the global slowdown. Although shopping outlets were forced to close in the spring of 2020 when governments around the world imposed lockdown measures to stem the spread of Covid-19, reopening began as early as that summer. In the months since, retail stores and malls in Qatar have welcomed customers with a range of health guidelines in...
The beginning of the 21st century heralded a period of rapid industrial growth for Qatar, fuelled by its abundant oil and gas wealth. The country is vying with the US for the position of the world’s largest producer and exporter of liquefied natural gas. Gas resources have been harnessed to develop strong downstream industries and related exports, but the instability in oil and gas prices...
Qatar is leveraging its resources to become a knowledge-based, diversified economy fuelled by a dynamic private sector. As such, the country is investing in strategic areas such as agriculture, services, and research and development to further move the economy away from its dependence on hydrocarbons and attract greater foreign direct investment.
As governments across Africa look to bolster the economic potential of small and medium-sized enterprises, industrial parks and special economic zones are emerging as key enablers of their development.
Economic update | Mining and electric vehicles: what can be done to reduce the carbon footprint?
Indonesia has taken another step forward in its quest to become a leading electric vehicle (EV) player, with the world’s two largest producers of EV batteries recently announcing major projects in the country. However, the developments highlight the paradoxical centrality of carbon-intensive mining to EV production, despite hopes that the EV production process could be further decarbonised.
Andrew Jeffreys, CEO of Oxford Business Group, speaks with Gagan Gupta, CEO and Co-Founder of Arise, about the current focus on diversifying supply chains away from Asia and towards Africa through nearshoring.