Local and regional business development

Rapid economic growth in the past few decades has given Qatar high levels of per capita income and human development scores, which can largely be attributed to the booming oil and gas sector. To sustain this economic prosperity, Qatar placed economic diversification at the heart of its national vision, with an ambition to transition to a knowledge-based economy. To achieve this, Qatar seeks to build workforce capacity, and grow and foster innovation in priority sectors including manufacturing, logistics, financial services, tourism, IT, communication, and science. It also seeks to promote entrepreneurship and enable small-to-medium-enterprise (SME) sector growth and competition.

Hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ presented the country with a unique opportunity to strengthen the structure and performance of its non-energy sectors and accelerate its transition to a more diversified economy. Specifically, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ created opportunities for domestic and regional enterprises in the construction, logistics, events, tourism, hospitality, and sports-related industries to grow, form strategic alliances externally and connect to global value chains. It also presented opportunities for innovation in areas such as stadium cooling, energy efficiency, waste management, health and safety, public transport and information technologies.