Doha: Qatar’s industrial sector has witnessed a remarkable expansion in the establishment of companies and factories in a number of vital sectors during the past years, and national products have been able to compete with as well as replace many foreign products in the market, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) H E Sultan bin Rashid Al Khater has said.
Talking to QNA, Al Khater said the number of factories operating and registered in Qatar to date has reached more than 800 factories, while the total number of licenses issued to establish industrial projects to date reached 635, in addition to the registration of about 60 factories in the industrial registry between January and September 2021.
He added that the total investments of factories in 2021 amounted to about QR2.1bn, contributing to the creation of 2,581 new jobs in industrial facilities.
Al Khater said the industrial sector will witness further growth following the implementation of strategic initiatives in the manufacturing sector. He added that the contribution of the manufacturing industries increased by 1.49 percent and reached about 8.79 percent during the first six months of 2021, compared to 7.3 percent during the same period in 2020.
Meanwhile, investments of the operating manufacturing factories also exceeded QR235bn, with 69 percent of the total investments directed towards the petrochemical, iron, and aluminium industries, he added.
Al Khater said the number of projects which started production and were registered in the industrial registry during 2021 exceeded 60 projects. Currently, the number of industrial projects that are being established in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Zone reached about 362 projects, he said.
He added that the industrial facilities established in 2021 contributed to the launch of new products, bringing the total number of products manufactured in Qatar to 845 products.
Speaking about the most important initiatives implemented under the Qatar National Manufacturing Strategy 2018-2022, Al Khater said the Ministry has launched an electronic portal for investors in the manufacturing sector, a program to attract major international investors, simplify the investor’s journey in the industrial sector, as well as increase the number and expand the scope of international trade agreements, and prepare a master plan to support talent, pioneers, and business professionals in the manufacturing sector for 10 years.
These efforts contributed to expanding the contribution of manufacturing industries to the national economy, with a value of about QR14bn during the second quarter of 2021, making the sector the fourth highest contributor to the country’s GDP, Al Khater added.
Speaking about the contribution of the Single Window initiative to accelerate business and attract local and foreign investments, the Undersecretary said the platform saw over 38,000 digital contracts signed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for investors, more than 33,457 payment transactions completed through the single window electronic payment gateway, and over 3,937 registration numbers issued through the digital platform.
