Qatar’s construction sector is projected to witness growth in 2018 as the government plans to spend "more than 47%" of the national budget on major infrastructure projects, according to an official of Project Qatar.
"The government will be spending around $103bn for new and major projects," IFP Qatar general manager George Ayache said at a press conference to announce Project Qatar’s 14th edition from May 8 to 11 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.
“This led the IMF to state that Qatar will be witnessing the highest GPD growth in the GCC by 3.4%, even exceeding Saudi Arabia. We are all eager to see the development taking place in Qatar and for that Project Qatar remains as the platform to tap into the ever-growing infrastructure and construction industry in Qatar,” he emphasised.
The Project Qatar official expressed confidence that the country is at 'a very acceptable equilibrium between the demand and supply in the construction market and growth will be witnessed as of 2018 and onwards.'
A total of 516 exhibitors from 33 countries are looking to leverage the future developments of Qatar’s multi-billion-dollar construction sector supported by their various embassies in Qatar, including France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, China, Turkey, Kuwait, and Pakistan.
The event, expected to gather more than 16,000 visitors from across the globe, will be the venue of a series of expert-led workshops on key issues within the construction sector such as ‘Cooperating to Advance Construction Codes in the Gulf Region’, ‘Overview of the International Green Construction Code’, ‘Conflict Avoidance: The Alternative to Dispute Resolution’, ‘Design of Quality Control Systems to Improve the Quality of Concrete Construction in Complex Infrastructure Projects’, and ‘Identification and Mitigation of Alkali-Silica Reaction in Concrete Structures’.
“The groundwork and business networking needed in order to optimise the capabilities the global construction has to offer require a dedicated platform for companies of all sizes to build business relations and secure major successful deals.
“The construction industry plays a very important role in achieving infrastructure development and thereby attracting foreign direct investments into the country, consistent with Qatar’s vision of becoming a leading hub in the region for world events, including the FIFA 2022 World Cup,” Ayache said.
Aside from the workshop sessions, this year’s Project Qatar also offers other activities like a live demo theater, the ‘Accessible Qatar Conference’, and a B2B Matchmaking event.
