Minister of Commerce and Industry to QNA: National Day - Occasion to Renew Loyalty to Homeland, Leadership

Doha, December 15 (QNA) - HE Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al-Thani affirmed that Qatar National Day is an occasion to renew loyalty and dedication to the homeland and its wise leadership, which followed the process of building and comprehensive renaissance in accordance with a forward-looking ambitious vision that elevated the status of the State of Qatar to be a pioneering economic model in the region and the ideal destination in the fields of trade and investment around the globe. In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion of the country's National Day, His Excellency extended his warm congratulations to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and HH the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani, pointing out that 2022 National Day's coinciding with the World Cup Qatar 2022 represents 12 years of fruitful achievements to host the most important global event, thus establishing a sustainable legacy that will move forward to continue the journey towards achieving the ultimate goal of Qatar National Vision 2030. Since the beginning of hosting the tournament, the country has pledged to organize a historical edition that will remain unforgettable in the memory of nations and a source of inspiration for organizing major sporting events in the future, he said, adding that along the way, Qatar has gone through exceptional experiences during which challenges were raised, achievements accomplished, power of human will embodied in its best form, and the World Cup made a symbol of dialogue and harmony between different peoples and cultures. He pointed out that the National Day's coinciding with the tournament's finale represents an exceptional historical event that will remain rooted in the memory and conscience of the region and the world at large, and in the record of the honorable achievements of a country. On the symbolism of the 2022 National Day slogan 'Our Unity Source of Our Strength,' which was quoted from a speech delivered by HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, His Excellency said that the slogan enshrines the deep bond between the people of this country and the values of solidarity and unity rooted in the depths of the history of the State of Qatar since its establishment by Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, who laid the foundations of a modern state that turned into a cohesive society and a unified and prosperous country. The State of Qatar is moving towards continuing its path to achieve its National Vision 2030, based on an inspiring model in overcoming challenges and consolidating its economic strength, he added. In his statements to QNA, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al-Thani noted that the gross domestic product (GDP) of the State of Qatar amounted to about QR 219.87 billion in the second quarter of this year, an increase of 40.7 percent compared to the first quarter of the same year, while the World Bank expected in its latest reports that the economy would grow by about 4.9 percent this year. The Credit Rating Agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) raised the credit rating of the State of Qatar to AA, giving it a stable outlook in light of the recovery in global energy demand and the remarkable performance of the non-oil sectors, he said, pointing out that the those sectors' contribution to GDP amounted to about 63.2 percent in 2021. His Excellency said that these indicators translate the effectiveness of the policies adopted by the state, which supported the growth of various vital economic sectors, especially the industrial sector, which is considered one of the main drivers of development, noting that it has seen a remarkable development in light of the country's steady steps towards achieving economic diversification in accordance with the determinants of Qatar National Development Strategy and Qatar National Manufacturing Strategy 2018-2022. In the same context, His Excellency said that the contribution of the manufacturing sector to the GDP amounted to QR 57.3 billion at current prices last year, and the performance continued during the first quarter of this year, to increase by 48 percent compared to the first quarter of last year, making this sector the fourth highest contributing activity to the country's GDP, which was positively reflected on industrial exports that rose in the first half of this year by 54.4 percent to reach QR 27 billion. In regard to the ministry's achievements and role in the World Cup, HE Minister of Commerce and Industry explained that the ministry had formed a committee to follow up on the instructions on the measures for hosting the World Cup that are related to the ministry, as well as a reformation of an emergency committee, which took over the risk management and presented the plans of all major agencies and companies regarding securing the local market needs of the main food and consumer goods, within the framework of a firm plan to ensure the continued flow of food and consumer goods to the local markets without interruption during the tournament period. The ministry was also keen to strengthen cooperation and joint coordination with the relevant government agencies and bodies, and to establish an operating team for food safety during the World Cup. As for the private sector, His Excellency noted that the private sector succeeded in developing its products and replacing some imported goods and products in various industrial fields, which contributed to achieving self-sufficiency for the state in several food, consumer and construction products, stressing that these efforts resulted in Qatar ranking first among Arab countries and the 24th globally among 113 countries in the 2021 Global Food Security Index (GFSI). The industrial strategy initiatives also contributed to increasing the number of locally manufactured products to 1,100 national products, as well as supporting and activating the role of the private sector and enhancing its contribution to the country's major development projects in a number of key sectors such as education, health, tourism and sports, in addition to implementing the provisions of Law No. 12 of 2020 regulating partnership between the public and private sectors in all related projects, especially hospitals, schools, tourist resorts, and other projects, he added. (MORE) During the last period, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has worked to support local industries by launching a campaign to support Qatari products, which contributed to increasing the percentage of local products sales in outlets to 18 percent and succeeded in coordinating with more than 30 governmental and semi-governmental agencies to motivate them to support Qatari products by increasing purchases of locally manufactured products. Several initiatives have also been put forward such as the '1000 Opportunities' initiative, which aims to bridge the supply and demand gap between the private sector and international companies operating in the country, His Excellency added. In terms of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry's achievements, HE Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al-Thani affirmed that the ministry has worked to facilitate the procedures and services provided for the business sector, including the issuance of a Temporary Business Permit aimed at accelerating the procedures for registering Qatari companies and investment companies with non-Qatari capital, as well as launching the Provisional Commercial License Service, enabling the investor to complete the procedures for establishing the company, recruiting workers, completing banking procedures, among other things. The Ministry also recently launched, in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipality, the Advertising License Service through the Single Window Platform, and was keen to enable home projects and facilitate their entry and expansion in the local markets, which supported their competitive capabilities and contributed to an increase in productivity. HE noted that 18,823 new commercial registrations were issued between January and the end of August 2022, an increase of 132 percent compared to the same period last year, and 17,654 new commercial licenses were issued between January and the end of August 2022, an increase of 138 percent compared to the same period last year, as well as the renewal of 30,414 commercial registers, and the renewal of 35,908 commercial licenses during the same period. His Excellency drew attention to the development of the ministry's e-services, where a remarkable development in the stages of completing the Single Window Platform and linkage with various government agencies and bodies concerned with the business sector, highlighting the work to add new services to the Single Window Platform to simplify business establishment procedures. In this context, 27 main services and 149 sub-services were launched, and links were made with 17 government agencies related to the services provided. His Excellency referred to the ministry's endeavor to facilitate the services provided to investors and commercial companies and make the Single Window Platform the first destination for completing various investment, commercial and industrial transactions, pointing to the issuance of 60,450 digitally signed articles of incorporation by investors and of contracts from the Ministry of Labor, and 10,272 paperless signatures by investors, 70,913 completed payment transactions executed through the platform's electronic payment gateway, 77 knowledgeable entities added,17 effective/active government entities linked through the approvals portal, the implementation of 23,684 completed digital approvals through the approvals portal, the implementation of 218,159 transactions the platform, the implementation of the issuance of 12,809 establishment records, the implementation of the issuance of 46,176 tax numbers, and the implementation of 80 digital link points with various supporting agencies. In regards to efforts to attract foreign investment, His Excellency pointed to the initiative to prepare an integrated strategy between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the relevant authorities to identify ways to adopt the best practices adopted globally in attracting investment, and conducting a comprehensive study of the challenges and opportunities to enhance the leading position of the State of Qatar internationally as an incubator and a leading destination for foreign direct investment. The ministry has worked to consolidate the principle of fair competition in a way that contributes to reducing burdens on investment by evaluating levels of competition in several of important economic sectors and activities, such as the markets for marketing and delivery services using smartphone applications, he said, pointing to the completion of the review of the regulatory framework to protect competition. Work is also underway to intensify cooperation and coordination with regional and international partners to enhance openness and exchange experiences in the field of competition, and awareness programs to familiarize companies operating in the country with competition protection laws and regulations, as an awareness guide was issued on protecting competition and preventing monopolistic practices. His Excellency stressed the ministry's continuous efforts to support the country's economic openness by organizing and representing the State of Qatar in various regional forums and events. In this context, he referred to the historic success of hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, organizing the Second Annual Qatar Economic Forum in cooperation with Bloomberg in June, and participating in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2022 held in May in Davos, with the organization of Qatari-Spanish Business Forum on the sidelines of His Highness' visit to the Kingdom of Spain. His Excellency also highlighted the ministry's participation in the Hannover International Industrial Fair in May, and the 12th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference (MC12) in June in Geneva, Switzerland. During MC 12, Fisheries Subsidies Agreement (AFS) was signed, he said, adding that this is in addition to participating in the third Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) between the State of Qatar and the United Kingdom in the UK capital London in August, GCC's 62nd meeting of the Commercial Cooperation Committee in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in June in the past, and the Qatari-Egyptian Businessmen Forum in September in Doha. HE Minister of Commerce and Industry affirmed his ministry's keenness to consolidate cooperation with the country's various strategic partners through organizing and participating in several joint committees and forums directed at the business sector and international events. This includes the ministerial meetings of the commercial and industrial cooperation committees of the GCC, the 13th Arab-Turkish Economic Forum, the Izmir Business Days Forum, the eighth Iran-Qatar Joint Economic Committee Meeting in Doha and the Qatari-Spanish Business Meeting in Madrid. His Excellency emphasized continuing to work towards solidifying the strength and durability of the national economy in a way that supports the march of the State of Qatar towards achieving its future vision by 2030. (QNA)