Qatar Chamber chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani has said the involvement of local companies in the Doha Metro and Rail projects will support the national economy and benefit the country’s private sector.
“The decision of Qatar Rail to integrate Qatari companies in the Doha Metro and Rail projects won by foreign companies’ represents a real support to the country’s economy, strengthens the private sector role and enables it to benefit as much as possible,” he said.
Sheikh Khalifa considered Qatar Rail’s initiative “very useful” for the local companies and provides new vistas of opportunity in a new industrial venture.
“This integration didn’t happen before with any local company in any railway project. Thus, we look forward to seeing the Qatari companies benefiting from the proceeds of the projects carried out in Qatar, which we consider a national right. We wish that all companies will follow Qatar Rail’s strategy in this regard”.
Abdul Aziz bin Nasser al-Khalifa, Qatar Development Bank executive director (Strategic Planning and Business Development), said: “There is no doubt that the contribution of local companies in the consortia which were awarded contracts for the Doha Metro Project, will help in transferring the knowledge to these reputed companies.
“This will help reduce risks that may surround the project itself and will definitely support the small and medium enterprises associated with Qatar Rail, which will have a positive impact on the economy”.
Qatar Rail aims at gaining experience and technology and pushes the contribution of private sector in the development process. There are clear and strict instructions from the steering committee, to provide the private sector with all the information needed.
Upon completion of Qatar Railway projects, thousands of job opportunities will be available. There will be a lot of opportunities for the local market.
“For specialised work, Qatar Rail is conducting many programmes to train employees, while there will be some work that will be moved from abroad so that our local market will gain experience from them,” he said.
Qatar Building Company (QBC) managing director Ali Mustafawi said: “The efforts of Qatar Rail to implement such a huge project will have a positive and immediate impact on all business sectors in Qatar. This is especially due to the fact that the scope of work will attract a large number of experienced employees and high-quality foreign companies.
He said this will help small, medium and large businesses to “recover”, especially in real estate, banking, retail, education and health sectors.
“The Qatari construction company is looking to invest its expertise and capacity to build the infrastructure of Qatar through synergy with foreign companies for the construction of underground stations, which is considered one of Qatar’s largest projects”, Mustafawi added.
Qatar Rail project will offer investment opportunities and will develop rail industry in Qatar. It will also help in developing the country’s human resources, since it offers many job opportunities as well.
Providing an opportunity to the private sector is one of Qatar Rail’s top priorities; the company has granted all tenders related to its logistics to Qatari companies.
Notable among them are Ali Bin Ali, Al-Darwish Trading, Grey Worldwide, Al-Mannai Trading, Akonix Qatar.
