Qatar Chamber to continue private sector growth, support: Sheikh Khalifa

Qatar Chamber maintained last year its efforts to support and develop the private sector in the country and encourage investments and facilitate its growth, chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim al-Thani said during the chamber’s general assembly meeting held on Wednesday.

He said the chamber also continued its role as the voice of the business community in the country, its mandate to support and safeguard the interests of private sector institutions and companies, and helped lessen the impact of Covid-19 on the private sector.The meeting’s agenda included the approval of the estimated budget for the fiscal year 2022 and appointing a new auditor for the 2022 financial year. During the meeting, Sheikh Khalifa reviewed the board of directors’ report and stated the chamber’s achievements and activities last year.On technical development and digitisation, Sheikh Khalifa said the chamber strengthened its digital structure in 2021 and worked to add further development to the services provided to the business community to facilitate members and affiliated companies and institutions, and provided all possible means to communicate with them and complete their transactions with ease and professionalism.Sheikh Khalifa noted that the chamber completed more than 56,000 electronic transactions, issued about 42,000 certificates of origin for exports, and organised more than 145 in-person and virtual events. The chamber hosted about 40 trade and business delegations from several countries and participated in some 20 events that were held abroad, Sheikh Khalifa said, adding that the chamber participated in and organised many seminars and forums with concerned bodies to review issues related to the private sector.He said the chamber strengthened co-operation and communication with all authorities concerned in the country to discuss all matters related to the Qatari private sector and the obstacles it is facing to ensure that it plays its role in the national economy and ensures the continuity of businesses and projects.The chamber’s sectorial committees held 30 meetings last year to review issues and obstacles facing each sector, and discussed ways of solving them in cooperation with the state’s concerned bodies, Sheikh Khalifa said.“In 2021, the International Road Transport Union announced the activation of the TIR Agreement for Transit in Qatar. The chamber is the national guarantor and exporter of its implementation in the country. This announcement is an important step in strengthening the position of the State of Qatar as a strategic trading partner and creating more effective commercial transport and transportation corridors in the GCC region and globally,” Sheikh Khalifa said.To keep pace with Qatar’s economic development, Sheikh Khalifa said the chamber signed an agreement with Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company for the purchase of a new building for the chamber’s headquarters in Lusail City’s Commercial Boulevard.He said the chamber’s new building will be built as a real home for businessmen and it will provide all the activities and services to the private sector. The new headquarters is a 10-storey commercial/administrative building with a unique modern design. Sheikh Khalifa expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani for his continued support for the private sector, underscoring the wise leadership’s interest to enable the private sector to perform its desired role as a real partner in the development march Qatar witnessing to achieve the Qatar National Vision 2030.