Signing of 20 MoUs at QEF 2024 'to boost Qatar's FDI inflow'

The signing of 20 memoranda of understanding, including 18 international MoUs, during the upcoming Qatar Economic Forum (QEF) 2024 is expected to enhance foreign direct investment (FDI) and attract additional FDI to the country, an official told *Gulf Times.

“The nature of the MoUs and the partnerships [to be signed at the forum] indicate the direction in which entities are moving towards enhancing foreign direct investment and attracting additional investment to Qatar,” stated Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani, the chairperson of the Permanent Supreme Committee organising QEF 2024.

“There are other factors that could also enhance this, but generally, it is through the participation of high-level delegations and by the MoUs that are going to be signed during the forum.”

During a press conference on Saturday, Sheikh Ali noted that the fourth edition of the forum, which will run from May 14 to 16 in Doha, is expected to gather 2,300 participants, including 1,300 active leaders in international firms and organisations, in addition to 200 local and international media outlets.

Sheikh Ali said 10 MoUs were signed in the previous edition. However, he noted that the forum has been seeing “a qualitative shift from one session to another," as translated by the number of international agreements unveiled during the event, in addition to the great interest from international political and economic actors.

He described the forum as “the fastest growing in terms of participation at the regional and international levels,” noting that the discussions over the three-day conference will focus on topics related to geopolitics, globalisation, trade, energy transformation, technological innovation, business foresight, investment, sports, and entertainment, “considering the continuing effects of major changes in the fields of technology, energy, trade, and politics that the world is witnessing, especially since the developments witnessed in 2024 will have far-reaching repercussions on the global economy.”

Sheikh Ali explained that attendance at QEF-related activities will be through personal invitations, “given the large attendance requests that exceeded all expectations.” He added that the organising committee has taken a number of measures to ensure the attendance of the largest number of those who wish to join through digital platforms.

For his part, the CEO of Media City Qatar and head of the media team in the Permanent Supreme Committee organising the QEF Jassim Mohamed al-Khori, lauded the strategic partnership with Bloomberg Media Group, which extends for several years.

On the sidelines of the press conference, al-Khori also told *Gulf Times that the organising committee has diversified the portfolio of topics that would be discussed during QEF 2024 to include innovation and technology, sustainability, and how to support startups, aside from energy, the economy, and politics.

The executive director of the Permanent Committee for Organising Conferences at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and head of the Logistics Team in the Supreme Permanent Committee Organising the QEF, Mubarak bin Ajlan al-Kuwari, said the registration process has been facilitated through a unified system and issuing entry cards to all participants to ensure smooth and quick entry to the forum, in addition to providing tourism programmes, in cooperation with Qatar Tourism and Qatar Museums.