Germany keen to explore green building management, renewable energy development with Qatar, says AHK Gulf exec

Energy and the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sectors is being seen as an important sector for Qatar-Germany investment partnerships post-World Cup, an official of the German Industry and Commerce Chamber in the Gulf Region (AHK Gulf) has said.
Aside from hydrocarbons, several other vital sectors would also play a key role in enhancing Qatar and Germany’s economic relations, according to AHK Gulf Regional CEO Oliver Oehms.
“I am also very curious to see what’s happening in the field of R&D-driven industry and industrial development, especially since there are exciting ideas in the development of biotech and pharmaceutical clusters. And I see that Qatar has a competitive edge over its peers here in the region,” Oehms told Gulf Times in an interview.
This year, Oehms said he is committed to being more active in Doha, citing AHK’s robust partnership with the German Business Council in Qatar.
“We still have a fairly new energy partnership between Germany and Qatar. It is a government-to-government (G2G) forum but we are implementing it here in Doha. This partnership is not only about sourcing gas from Qatar.
“But in terms of sustainable management practices, green building management, and renewable energy development, among other fields, we would also like to explore these with our Qatari partners,” Oehms explained.
He further said, “And knowing that COP28 will be held in the Gulf region, particularly in the UAE, it would be exciting across the region for launching new initiatives to kick off sustainable practices.”
Oehms also expressed AHK’s strong support for the sustainable development efforts of Qatar, citing Germany’s expertise in the implementation of renewable energy and generation, solar photovoltaic technology, and wind energy, among many others.
“I think the most interesting potential is in energy-efficient building management and energy-efficient building design, whether high-rise or industrial buildings. We still have a significant potential for reducing the CO2 footprint across the region.
“Obviously, it would require some political decision-making and defining the respective technical frameworks but for me, it is a low-hanging fruit that would hopefully be picked by our partners here across the region,” he noted.
Similarly, sports is also another sector that Qatar and Germany could explore further following the Gulf state’s successful staging of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which was the first ever to be held in the Middle East.
“The infrastructure is already here. It is a known fact that a lot of German professional football clubs like to utilise the facilities being provided by Qatar. For sure, we will see this growth due to the attractiveness of the destination and maybe Qatar is able to outperform some European destinations in this regard due to the quality of the infrastructure provided. In this regard, I am quite confident,” Oehms emphasised.
Speaking on tourism and Qatar’s bid to position itself as a premier tourist destination both globally and in the region, Oehms noted that German tour organisers and cruise ship operators are interesting target groups that could participate in these efforts.
“We are very much interested in Qatar’s participation in the International Tourism Exchange (ITB Berlin) slated from March 7 to 9 this year. It may still be too early at this time but certainly, for next year, I am expecting Qatar to come up with some exciting news to be launched during ITB,” he pointed out.