Marina Sarruf, special envoy*
Doha – The new civil construction works of Doha, the capital of Qatar, are following in the steps of those of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Tall buildings, luxury houses and hotels, modern architecture and various shopping centres. This is the opinion of the businessmen who are participating in the trade mission to the countries of the Gulf, organized by the Federation of Industries of the State of Santa Catarina (Fiesc) and the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. “Dubai gave the starting kick. And now the other countries are following the same route,” stated the owner of construction company Procave, Nivaldo Pinheiro.
This is the first time that a Brazilian delegation in the construction sector visits Doha. The delegation has already been in Kuwait and Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. According to the president at the Chamber of the Construction Industry of the State of Santa Catarina, José Antonio Vieira, the countries of the Gulf are becoming a hub of tourist attractions and business development. “Civil construction in the region is the great generator of new business, as it attracts entrepreneurs in the sector from all around the world,” he said.
One example of success in the business in Qatar is Lebanese construction company Al Fadil Trading and Construction, which established a partnership with a company from Qatar for the excavation of plots. Today, 60% of our constructions have been put up on plots excavated by the Lebanese company. “We are currently working on 11 constructions in Doha,” stated the company’s general manager, Firas Al-Jawhari.
Al Fadil has 30 digging machines, 27 lorries for sand transport and employs around 100 Syrians, Egyptians, Lebanese and Nepalese. One of the sites that the company is currently excavating is a 20,000-square-metre plot, from where they have already removed 258,000 cubic metres of sand, with another 70,000 to go. “Five years ago the city was just desert,” stated Al-Jawhari.
The boom in the country’s construction sector is recent, but the capital already counts on various hotels under large international brands, like the Marriott and Sheraton. The latter is considered one of the most luxurious in the country. In the shape of a pyramid, the hotel includes five restaurants and 371 bedrooms distributed on 11 storeys. The Sheraton Doha became internationally known in 2001, when the hotel hosted the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference, which originated the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Rounds.
According to Pinheiro, these daring constructions, which overshadow conventional constructions, are a marketing strategy to attract the eyes of the media and of tourists. “The Burj Al Arab (hotel in Dubai), for example, is of world renown and has become a tourist attraction in the emirate,” he said.
Currently, Doha is getting ready to host the 15th edition of the Asian Games, which are equivalent to the Pan American games, scheduled to take place in Rio de Janeiro in 2007. The city hopes to receive 45,000 people to watch the event that begins on December 01st and follows through to the 15th.
Economic Scenery
Located in the western coast of the Gulf, with an area of 11,437 square-kilometres and over 700 kilometres of Coast, Qatar has a population of 800,000 people, being most foreign. Gas and oil are responsible for over 60% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which totals US$ 35.4 billion. The country’s per capita income is among the highest in the world.
The oil reserves of Qatar correspond to 5% of the global reserves, but the country’s main export product is liquefied natural gas. Gas is boosting the economic development of the country and its construction sector.
*Translated by Mark Ament
