Faced with a worsening debt crisis and the real prospect of a recession at home, several major European companies seeking new investment opportunities will be attending the annual Qatar Projects 2012 conference which will take place in Doha on 5-8 February at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

More than $106 billion of major projects will be awarded between now and 2022 in the Gulf state, with significant investment in oil and gas, heavy industry, electricity generation and water desalination, social infrastructure and transportation links, figures from MEED’s 2011/12 Qatar Projects report.

Infrastructure spending will dominate the next five years with around $65 billion due to be invested in a series of new transportation schemes including the new $11 billion Doha International airport, the $6 billion Doha port project and a $25 billion metro and railway.

“More European architecture and construction firms are expected to head to Qatar as it invests heavily in building a world-class infrastructure system both for the FIFA World Cup Finals in 2022 and for Qatar Vision 2030,” said Edmund O’Sullivan, Chairman, MEED Events.

Despite an expected slowdown this year, the outlook for the economy of the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas remains positive with GDP growth projected at 6 percent, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts.

British engineering firm Atkins is the latest European company to be awarded a project in Qatar after it won a US$107 million contract earlier this month to set up a Central Planning Office for infrastructure and transport contracts, its second major contract win there in recent months.

“This latest contract win in Qatar strengthens our position in the region even further as we are working with government stakeholders to help them to deliver the most comprehensive and integrated infrastructure investment programme in the region’s history,” said Uwe Krueger, Chief Executive, Atkins.

Atkins is one of several European firms attending the conference. Others include Mott MacDonald, Foster + Partners and GMP Architekten.

Leading multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy, Hilson Moran, is another European company that is increasing its focus on Qatar after it opened its second GCC office in Doha last year.

While last year’s conference attracted a record-breaking 644 attendees, the 2012 event has been expanded to include more client-led presentations and case study analysis, providing an in-depth look at the mega projects and investment and construction opportunities available. Increased focus on market research data with detailed sector profiles and forecasts providing invaluable future project information will add a new dimension to the debate with two days of interactive discussion.

Separate conference streams will focus on energy projects covering petrochemicals, power and water, as well as road, rail, aviation, real estate, social infrastructure and sports sector initiatives.

The confirmed list of speakers includes; H.E. Abdulla Bin Saoud al-Thani,

Governor, Qatar Central Bank; Engineer Nasser Ali al-Mawlawi, President, Ashghal; Remy Rowhani, Director General, Qatar Chamber of Commerce & Industry; George Nasra, Managing Director, IBQ; Engineer Saad Ahmed Ibrahim al-Mohanadi, CEO, Qatar Railways Company; Khalifa al-Sowaidi, Managing Director, QAFCO; Monjid Abdelmajeed, Managing Director, REDCO Construction - Almana and Engineer Jalal Yousef al-Salihi, Director Infrastructure Affairs, Public Works Authority (Ashghal)

Qatar Projects 2012 is sponsored by International Bank of Qatar and Redco Construction - Almana. The official conference partner is Qatar Petroleum, supported by the Ministry of Business and Trade and Ashghal.

For more information on Qatar Projects: www.qatarprojectsconference.com

DOHA, Qatar — Jan. 9, 2012 — Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Cerner have signed a landmark agreement to digitize the entire public health system of Qatar, including all HMC hospitals and Primary Health Care centers (PHCs). Acting as a prime contractor and CIS integrator, Cerner will deliver cutting edge health IT solutions from Cerner and third party suppliers that will bring the HMC Hospital Information Management into the 21st century.  This is Cerner’s first project in the region to digitize an entire country’s public health system on a single computing platform.

Using the Cerner Millennium® architecture, a unified health IT computing platform, will enable Qatari health professionals to elevate safety, quality and efficiency. The system will provide evidence-based best practices and improve the clinical care processes. In addition, Cerner ® solutions will provide the foundation for medical research initiatives related to population health management, including non-communicable diseases and other chronic health conditions.

Cerner will also work with HMC to lay the foundation for a national health framework which will allow for a personal health record for every citizen in Qatar. Using Cerner solutions, HMC will help individuals better connect with their care team and engage in their health. Individuals will be able to schedule appointments, send messages to their doctor and create a personal health record to better manage their health. Moreover, HMC will have the ability to capture and research health data across medical encounters and medical facilities providing vast repositories for ongoing research and disease management for the Supreme Council of Health.

“Access to the latest evidence based clinical information will ensure best clinical guidelines and healthcare practices and hence best care for patients. With the Clinical Information System to be implemented soon, this technology will be at the clinician’s fingertips for health staff within Hamad Medical Corporation hospitals and Primary Healthcare Centers, allowing them to make informed decisions about their patients,” said Dr. Abdulwahab Al Musleh, Deputy Chief of Medical, Academic and Research affairs for Clinical Information Systems at HMC.

Mr. Abdulla Al Emadi, HMC Executive Director of Health Information Systems, added: “The creation of this partnership with Cerner is a key stepping stone in our efforts to achieve excellence through the implementation of technology.”

Cerner’s electronic health record (EHR) will be the foundation of the health technology implementation. Over a period of five years, HMC Hospitals and PHC’s will integrate approximately 100 Cerner solutions and 11 third party solutions, encompassing clinical, technical, operations, and administrative areas, to support HMC in achieving clinical and service excellence.

Implementing Cerner solutions will benefit HMC and PHC patients in a number of ways including:

Providing a lifetime clinical record for all Qatari citizens and residents: Whether an individual is treated in the ambulatory setting, inpatient setting, or even at the home, the information will be captured and stored in the individual’s lifetime clinical record.
Ensuring the highest standard of quality care: The use of standardized treatment guidelines promotes evidence-based, effective and consistent care for every patient while enabling quality improvement and operational efficiency.
Reducing the potential for transcription errors: Illegible, handwritten orders and transcription errors are reduced through the use of electronic order entry.
Improving access to information: Clinicians have immediate access to a unified patient EHR that has up-to-the-minute information about the patient including past visits, medical test and results and medical devices connected directly to the EHR,

“Strong regional partnerships and supporting government initiatives to develop the health care industry are key pillars of Cerner’s growth strategies in the region.” said Greg White, vice president and managing director, Cerner Middle East and Africa. “Through a seamless electronic health record system, HMC will have the opportunity to enhance the safety, quality and efficiency of their facilities. We are delighted to support their transformation into one of the leading academic health systems in the world.”

Sovereign wealth funds from Qatar and Kuwait led pledges on Thursday to invest almost $3bn in cash-strapped Morocco, cementing ties between Arab monarchies at a time of political turmoil in the region.

Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund and the Moroccan state agreed to establish a 50-50 investment joint venture worth $2bn that aims to help Rabat fund major development projects, a statement from the Moroccan government said.

Visiting Qatari ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Morocco’s King Mohammed attended the signature ceremony for the agreement in Rabat to set up the joint venture fund between the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and its Moroccan equivalent.

QIA’s Qatar Holding, Kuwaiti Investment Authority’s Al Ajial Investments and Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund Aabar Investments also agreed on Thursday with Morocco’s Fund for the Development of Tourism to inject AED20.8bn ($2.5bn) into a newly-created vehicle called Wessal Capital.

It will focus on the development on new resorts in Morocco, a statement from the tourism ministry said.

United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also attended the signing ceremony for the setting up of Wessal.

“The four partners will equally contribute to Wessal. It will be 25 percent for each of them,” said a source familiar with the matter.

“Wessal will create an investment firm led by Morocco to fund investment opportunities proposed under Morocco’s tourism development plan by 2020,” added the source.

An invitation earlier this year for Arab kingdoms Morocco and Jordan to join the Gulf Cooperation Council signalled that monarchies in the region were trying to strengthen links in the face of the “Arab Spring” uprisings.

Morocco’s tourism ministry said the creation of Wessal was the “result of a partnership that consolidates the historical and brotherly ties between Morocco and Gulf Arab countries”.

Morocco has devised a plan worth 100 billion dirhams in investment to join the world’s top 20 holiday destinations and double tourism receipts to 150 billion dirhams by 2020.

Tourism is Morocco’s main source of hard currency, contributes close to 10 percent of its gross domestic product and directly employs 450,000 people.

FIFA will be warned today by labour organisations that it faces an international campaign to move the 2022 World Cup from Qatar unless it ensures the host nation respects workers’ rights.

International union representatives are to present FIFA president Sepp Blatter with a letter today telling him of the campaign ‘No World Cup in Qatar without labour rights’.

FIFA agreed to meet the unions after a trade union report on migrant workers in Qatar and United Arab Emirates criticised “inhuman” conditions this year, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) said in a statement.

The ITUC said unions were “continuing to receive reports of unsafe working conditions and abuse of workers’ rights as Qatar sets out to build nine stadiums in 10 years using mostly migrant labour.”

ITUC general secretary Sharan Burrow said: “FIFA has the power to make labour rights a requirement of the Qatari authorities who are hosting a World Cup.”

Labour organisations “would mobilise workers and football fans to target each of FIFA’s football associations and the international body to stop the World Cup in Qatar if labour rights are not respected,” the ITUC added.

“With 308 national trade union centres in 153 countries, the international trade union movement has the members, the power and the mandate to take action to stop the Qatar World Cup.”

Qatar, the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, plans to invest about $88bn over the next decade to host the world’s most-watched sporting event.

The wealthy Gulf state has unveiled an unprecedented spending plan to build the stadiums, hotels, bridges and railways needed for the 2022 games, requiring a flood of foreign labourers.

Qatar has been repeatedly criticised over the working conditions of labourers. An August report by Qatar-based rights group NHRC found 70 percent of workers were only paid QR1,100 ($302) a month, while 30 percent of labourers received just QR800 ($219) a month.

A third of the 1,114 workers polled by the group said they never received their wages on time.

Accommodation for about 43 percent of them was on the basis of six beds in a room and 31 percent said they have to share one toilet, the report said.

Dubai, UAE : UAE based event management specialist firm, The Event Company has expanded their presence in the GCC with the opening of new offices in Qatar and Kuwait. The three year old company has experienced strong year on year growth.

“We are excited to announce the opening of two new offices in Qatar and Kuwait to service more clients. Both are going to be key markets for us  where we see strong growth potential for our services, “said Aron Bentley, Account Director, The Event Company. “Since the beginning of this year we have secured a number of high calibre clients and we have hired several new staff. We are now firmly on a growth track with a busy fourth quarter.”

Since starting in 2009, the company has managed numerous high profile events in the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan. These include product launches, exhibitions, gala dinners, conferences and sponsorship activation.

“The recent increase in clients and staff is extremely encouraging and our success is a testament to the team’s ability to achieve new business while still developing relationships with our existing clients,” added Natalie Crampton, Managing Director.

The Event Company’s clients include HSBC, BlackBerry, Bentley, Shell, Vodafone, 20th Century Fox, Toyota and IKEA in the region.

iQ will also exclusively provide after-sales services to Huawei mobile phone users in the region

October 12, 2011

Informatica Qatar (iQ), an IT Consulting Firm and Technology Solutions Provider that offers innovative and high-quality systems integration solutions, has announced that it has recently signed an agreement with global ICT solutions provider Huawei to be the exclusive distributor and after-sales service provider in Qatar of Huawei mobile phones, including the Huawei IDEOS and the Huawei IDEOS X5. The partnership leverages iQ’s in-depth knowledge and extensive network in the regional ICT industry, providing the ideal platform to optimise the market potential of Huawei products in Qatar.

iQ also brings to the partnership its wide experience as a leading product distributor and service provider in the ICT sector, serving a wide range of telecom consumer markets in the region. The partnership is in line with iQ’s strategy to establish strategic alliances with leading global ICT companies and to reach out to more customers in the Middle East by expanding its portfolio of premium technology solutions.

Wisam Costandi, General Manager, Informatica Qatar, said: “iQ has a dedicated team of industry professionals with wide experience in the telecom sector from both the product and service domains, giving us a strong head start in our efforts to enhance the market presence of the Huawei brand in Qatar. Moreover, the alliances we have established with world-leading ICT companies are in line with iQ’s firm commitment to deliver quality solutions with best-of-breed technologies. We are therefore very excited to bring Huawei’s industry-leading technology solutions to Qatar as it will ultimately benefit our customers in the country.”

Informatica Qatar (iQ) is a regional technology solutions provider and leading Huawei partner.  With two key business units, iQ Solutions and iQ Devices, iQ has a proven track record of delivering end-to-end ICT, ELV and telecom solutions, as well as after-sales support at any of its locations.

Huawei has been a leading global ICT solutions provider with a presence in over 140 countries and serving more than a third of the world’s population. The company is widely recognised for its extensive range of products and services in telecom networks, devices and cloud computing.

The Company discusses client procurement methods, ways to secure people, material and funding at the Qatar Construction Summit 

Khaldoun Tabari - CEO

[Dubai, 26 September, 2011]- Drake & Scull Construction (DSC), the civil contracting arm of Drake & Scull International (DSI) PJSC a regional market leader in integrated design, engineering and construction disciplines of Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP), Civil Contracting, and Water & Power, announced at the Qatar Construction Summit 2011 held at the Grand Hyatt hotel, Doha the expansion into the Qatari Market to leverage on the existing MEP and Water and Power business streams. The company was a sponsor and exhibitor at the summit and discussed the challenges faced by contractors in Qatar as they aim to support the country’s real estate expansion plans. Drake & Scull International’s presentation addressed the lucrative opportunities emerging in Qatar’s construction sector and particularly focused on client procurement methods, alignment of the construction and supply chain teams, in addition to shedding light on ways to secure the right people, materials and funding.

Commenting on this strategic milestone Khaldoun Tabari, CEO of DSI stated, “Drake & Scull Construction (DSC) will enable Drake & Scull International (DSI) PJSC to cover the complete value chain of the construction industry in Qatar and will optimize our exposure to the residential, commercial, education, healthcare and infrastructure sectors. We aim to import our regional experience and acquired operational and technical expertise in turnkey execution of high rise towers, hotels and residential schemes, infrastructure works, construction management, inspection and quality control to complement our established MEP and Water and Power divisions.”

“We are well established in Qatar and we have executed a wide range of MEP projects across various industries Tabari added “Drake & Scull Qatar”  (DSQ) the wholly owned subsidiary of Drake & Scull International (DSI) PJSC was established in 2006 and has undertaken a number of prestigious MEP projects in Qatar including the West Bay Complex “Four Seasons hotel” and the “QTEL headquarters” as well as a design and build contract for two district cooling plants for the Musheireb project developed by Doha Land “Tabari added. We look forward to capitalize on our regional capabilities and expertise to leverage our market share in Qatar and further identify and explore lucrative opportunities in the, MEP, Civil and Water and Power sectors” Tabari reiterated.

On the sidelines of the summit Saleh Muradweij, the Managing Director of Drake & Scull Construction stated, “Qatar has been witnessing unprecedented economic growth in recent years, and several key factors such as its favourable investment climate, strong government support and winning the 2022 World Cup hosting rights have added impetus to the country’s ambitious growth plans. The construction summit provided a well-rounded perspective of the various opportunities in Qatar’s construction landscape, and DSI’s presentation mainly addressed the various challenges that contractors confront as they try to keep pace with the market demands and the rapidly changing construction industry dynamics. ”

Since the beginning of 2011 DSI has managed to secure a series of MEP, Civil and Water & Power projects in several GCC countries, Egypt, Asia and Europe for a combined value of AED 3.6 billion. The company has a backlog of AED 7.5 billion as of June 2011 and remains positive on its expectations for the second half of the year and is now bidding extensively for projects in the MENA and Asian regions through its MEP, Civil and Water & Power divisions and is also proactively seeking to develop its integrated service offering to diversify into various industry sectors in emerging markets.

Qatar surpassed Luxembourg as the world’s richest nation in 2010 and is set to pull away with wealth that’s almost twice that of the US, latest estimates from the International Monetary Fund show.

The IMF’s Chart of the Day shows Qatar’s gross domestic product per capita at $88,221 in 2010, beating Luxembourg for the top spot, according to IMF data.

The figure may reach $111,963 by 2016, surpassing Luxembourg’s $94,621 and Singapore’s $70,992, the IMF said.

US GDP per capita is forecast at $55,622 in five years, from $46,860 in 2010.

 “It’s the combination of wealth, growth and a small population,” said Paul Cooper, Dubai-based managing director at Sarasin-Alpen & Partners, which oversees more than $500 million in the Middle East.

Qatar, the host of the 2022 soccer World Cup, forecasts economic growth of about 16 percent in 2011 and projects a budget surplus of $6.1 billion this fiscal year.

The IMF estimates the Persian Gulf nation will have the world’s fastest-growing economy for a second year. Qatar, which is smaller than Connecticut, has a population of about 848,000, according to the CIA World Factbook.

The country, the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, has reached its target of 77 million tons of annual production.

Qatar is expected to keep posting budget surpluses in the coming years and the OPEC member’s nominal gross domestic product should jump to QR547bn ($150bn) this year, its central bank governor said earlier this month.

Qatar, one of the largest global investors through its sovereign wealth fund, plans to spend over $125bn in the next five years on construction and energy projects according to its plan.

Qatar’s nominal GDP reached QR463bn in 2010. The government 2011 estimate is putting its growth at 18 percent at current prices, according to Reuters calculations.

Analysts polled by Reuters in June forecast Qatar’s real GDP to expand by 16.7 percent in 2011.

Latest IDC report says Qatar’s ICT segment to reach QAR 13.47 billion over the next two years

July 19, 2011

NETGEAR, a worldwide provider of technologically advanced branded networking and storage products, has revealed plans to penetrate and create a stronger market presence in Qatar’s ICT segment and has ultimately set a QAR 10 million revenue goal in 2013. The move complements the latest Qatar IT Industry report released by the International Data Corporation (IDC) stating that the country’s rapidly developing ICT segment is posed to reach a value of QAR 13.47 billion over the next two years. The report shows that the country’s telecommunications, government, oil & gas, and finance vertical markets have been identified as market segments with high IT spending which reflect Qatar’s move to diversify and increase the private sector’s role and participation in the move towards development. NETGEAR’s move to reach a revenue goal in 2013 follows the company’s recent participation at QITCOM 2011, the leading platform for Information and Communication Technology in Qatar.

According to the IDC report, Qatar is also ripe to embrace the growing presence of SME’s as a major part of the country’s growth and development. SME’s, along with other segments, are expected to infuse a lot of investments in IT infrastructure and other related solutions to help streamline operations and keep pace with their competitors. NETGEAR is planning to leverage its wide range of products across the country’s various industry verticals. Among the company’s broad product portfolio, NETGEAR is currently promoting its current line of storage systems that are aimed at both home and business users, which range from 248GB enterprise rack units to the little two-bay ReadyNAS designed for home, small office use. The NETGEAR ReadyNAS Ultra 6 is a six-bay unit that is powered by a dual-core 1.66Ghz Intel Atom processor and 1GB of DDR2 RAM, which can deliver up to 15 concurrent streams.

“Qatar’s ICT market has been witness to dramatic growth and development over the last few years, with analysts predicting continuous growth and subsequently reaching a value of over QAR 13.47 billion in two years,” said Ahmed Zeidan, Channel Sales Manager, NETGEAR Middle East. “This expected growth has drawn the attention of businesses wanting to play a major role in the sector’s development. NETGEAR’s confidence in Qatar’s ICT growth is reflected in our move to roll out strategic networking and storage products that can address the demands and requirements of various industry verticals.”

According to NETGEAR senior officials, the QAR 10 million revenue target reflect the company’s confidence in Qatar’s emerging market potential, which has been ably boosted by the announcement of the country’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2022. The company was also responsible for the successful implementation of strategic storage systems for the CCTV cameras used at the recent Asian Cup in Qatar. During its participation at QITCOM Conference & Exhibition, the company showcased its latest range of products like the UTM 25, ReadyNAS 3200, VPN and the WMS 5316. The WMS5316 is a central wireless management system for up to 16 APs and also features Wireless-N Reliable, which is a secure and simple central wireless system for businesses and schools with 50 to 200 users. Meanwhile, the ProSecure Unified Threat Management (UTM) Appliances combine performance with comprehensive security coverage. The UTM offers patent-pending stream scanning technology, which enables the ProSecure UTM to utilize virus and malware threats.

“NETGEAR has managed to maintain strong ties with leading companies and strategic channel partners in Qatar. These companies have reported positive results from utilizing our products. We remain highly dedicated to its standing commitment to provide its customers with world class high quality solutions that promise on reliability and effectiveness. We look forward to presenting our customers with an integrated suite of solutions that can help drive in an increase in productivity and efficiency,” said Zeidan.

Leading company’s first showroom in Qatar & 29th for the group to play key role in AED 367 billion worth of construction and development projects in preparation for FIFA World Cup 2022

July 13, 2011

Danube Building Materials, the leader in construction, building materials and shop fitting industries, opened its first showroom in Qatar yesterday (July 12, 2011) in association with Dyarco. The AED 50 million showroom was inaugurated by H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, Vice-Chairman, Al Faisal Holding and H.E. Ebrahim A.H. Al Neama, Chairman, Dyarco, in the presence of Danube officials led by Rizwan Sajan, Founder & Chairman, Danube Building Materials; Anis Sajan, Managing Director; Adel Sajan, Director, Danube Building Materials and other senior company officials. The opening, which marks the company’s first venture into Qatar, is the 29th Danube Building Materials showroom in the Middle East and reflects the company’s strategy of strengthening its market presence in the region.

The newly opened ‘Business to Business’ (B2B) showroom, which measures at 100,000 square feet, comprises of a showroom and adjoining warehouse, conveniently located at the heart of Qatar’s Industrial Area. According to Danube senior officials, the recent announcement of Qatar being named as the host for the FIFA World Cup Games in 2022 has created an influx of construction and infrastructure projects amounting to over AED 367 billion over the next 12 years. Danube is looking to play a major role in this development by leveraging its wide portfolio of building materials and other construction essentials across these projects. The Qatar showroom will offer key products like wood, steel, sanitary hardware, ceiling, plywood and structural steel.

“We congratulate the Danube group on the occasion of the opening of their first retail and warehousing facility in Qatar,” said H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, Vice-Chairman, Al Faisal Holding. “The opening could not have been at a better time as the country is currently witnessing an increase in major construction projects. These projects largely demand a supplier who can provide them with top quality building materials, something that the Danube Building Materials retail units are widely known for. We wish them success and welcome them as an integral part in the country’s move to prepare for the FIFA World Cup games in 2022.”  

“Today’s opening demonstrates our long standing commitment towards opening key showrooms and warehousing facilities across strategic locations in the Middle East. We are excited to have opened our first retail unit in Qatar as the country is expected to experience a large influx of projects in preparation for the FIFA World Cup games in 2022,” said Rizwan Sajan, Founder & Chairman, Danube Building Materials. “We are eyeing to participate in this expected increased number of projects, which complements our goal to expand our client base in Qatar, during this period of important development and growth. Rest assured that we will continue to live up to our reputation as a key provider of world class high quality building materials to major projects in the region.”