Doha – The government of Qatar wants to promote the development of small and medium private companies and to make the country into a centre for the sector. This should be one of the themes discussed on Saturday (26) at the business seminar to take place during the visit of president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Doha.
According to the deputy general manager at the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA), Sarah Abdallah, the government has started a 2 billion rial (US$ 550 million) project to provide incentives to medium and small entrepreneurs.
Presenting business and investment opportunities to Qatar and Brazil is the objective of the seminar, promoted by both governments, the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the QBA.
According to Sarah, the most important sector of the Arab country is natural gas, but the government has issued a plan, called “Vision 2030”, to diversify the country economy. One of the priority areas is industry, as Qatar has abundant energy sources and great tracts of land available for installation of production lines. The banking sector is also a priority.
The executive stated that gas should always be the most important sector, but the idea is to seek a “more balanced” economy. In his opinion, Brazil may contribute with its experience in several economic activities. He pointed out that the visit by Lula and the business seminar are taking place at a moment in which Qatar is seeking new markets and new international relations.
In the area of investment, according to Sarah, the highlights should be the areas of energy, in the case of Qatar, agribusiness, in the case of Brazil, “and other activities where there may be opportunities to interact”. ”We want to know what the common interests are,” she said.
Another area that Qatar wants to develop, according to the executive, is tourism, especially turned to business. In this respect, he believes that the inauguration, in June, of a direct flight by Qatar Airways between Doha and São Paulo should help in this objective and in business in general. “Relations between both countries are growing, but the distance is always a problem. The flight should make the work easier,” she said.
She added that both governments and sector organisations are working on “creating a common platform” to make possible business between private companies. According to Sarah, some 100 businessmen from Qatar have confirmed presence in the seminar. On the Brazilian side, 40 representatives of companies should accompany president Lula to Doha. He should arrive in the Qatari capital on Friday.
*Translated by Mark Ament
