QBA discusses private sector challenges with the Municipality and Ashghal

The Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) organized a meeting with the Ministry of Municipality and the Public Works Authority, attended by directors of key sector departments, as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance communication with the public sector and various economic entities.
QBA received Eng. Ibrahim Abbas, Director of Infrastructure Programs Department, Office of H.E. the Minister of Municipality; Mr. Hamad Hadi Al Hajri, Assistant Director of the Food Security Department at the Ministry; Eng. Yousef Abdulrahman Al Emadi, Advisor to the President of the Public Works Authority; and Mr. Mohammed Ahmed Al Maki, Director of the Real Estate Investment Department at the Real Estate Regulatory Authority.
The visit aimed at strengthening communication with the Qatari business community and brief them on the Ministry’s initiatives designed to serve the national economy.
From QBA, the meeting was attended by Mr. Saud Al Mana, QBA Board Member, and QBA members Sheikh Mohammed bin Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, Mr. Khalid Al Mannai, and Mr. Nasser Suleiman Al Haider. Also Sheikh Khalid bin Nawaf bin Nasser Al Thani, Sheikh Jassim bin Nawaf bin Nasser Al Thani attended the meeting along with QBA members Mr. Ashraf Abu Issa, Mr. Maqbool Habib Khalfan, Mr. Faisal Al Mana, Mr. Yousuf Ibrahim Al Mahmoud, Dr. Jaafar Ali Al-Sarraf and Mr. Ihsan Al Khyiami. Ms. Sarah Abdallah, QBA General Manager and a number of executive directors from member companies also attended.
The meeting began with QBA members thanking the Ministry of Municipality for the initiative, emphasizing the importance of strong and close cooperation between the public and private sectors in serving the national economy. They pointed out the effective economic initiatives—policies, legislation, and various projects—implemented under the directives of HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar, which aim at empowering national institutions and encourage business leaders to actively contribute to infrastructure, sewage, and food security projects.
For their part, Ministry officials outlined the Ministry’s vision for the upcoming period and its future projects aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030. These include preparing project programs based on the comprehensive urban plan, working within a unified national framework through a clear infrastructure system across all sectors, and linking it to a digital platform covering all projects related to infrastructure, food security, real estate valuation, and project follow-up—whether related to government buildings, roads, sewage systems, citizen land development, farms, or others.

Various Initiatives
During the meeting, the businessmen expressed the private sector’s concerns across various sectors, including investment incentives, financing, legislative procedures, land allocation for farms, and private sector participation in infrastructure, road projects, land development for citizens, and food security initiatives.
They confirmed that the private sector is a national partner supporting the State and the Ministry of Municipality, noting that the Ministry, through its various departments, represents contractors and the business community, and therefore positive cooperation between both sides is essential.
In response to the concerns raised, Ministry officials explained that the Ministry is implementing a package of projects as part of its ongoing efforts to achieve comprehensive development and provide advanced services across the sectors under its supervision.
The Ministry has achieved significant milestones in multiple areas, including urban planning, agriculture, and food security, as well as public services related to cleaning, waste recycling and treatment, renewable energy, development of public parks and expansion of green spaces.

Diverse Infrastructure Projects
Regarding infrastructure, the Ministry stated that approximately 238 projects are planned within the upcoming five-year plan, with a total value of QAR 50 billion. Total projects extending beyond 2030 amount to QAR 118 billion.
The Infrastructure Department is prioritizing citizen land development, sewage networks, and treatment networks to achieve the goals of the National Vision, including reaching 82% nationwide sewage network coverage by the end of 2030.
Currently, five infrastructure projects worth QAR 13 billion are being offered in partnership with the private sector.

Agriculture and Food Security Sector
In the agriculture and food security sector, the Ministry is implementing several initiatives and projects within integrated plans to develop local production and enhance the country’s food security system. These efforts fall under the National Food Security Strategy 2030, which includes a package of qualitative projects aimed at increasing production efficiency, strengthening supply chains, and enhancing sustainability.
The strategy also emphasizes the importance of involving the private sector as a strategic partner in implementation, operation, and investment, contributing to diversifying production sources, encouraging innovation, enhancing sector competitiveness, and supporting national food security targets.
It was also noted that the Ministry is working on establishing a digital food security platform, in coordination with all relevant entities, to provide updated data and indicators on the food security system. This will enable decision-makers and investors to make well-informed investment decisions.
In the same context, several key issues concerning local producers were discussed, including incentives and pricing mechanisms, as well as the development of strategic food stock baskets to ensure proper storage periods for each product in line with strategic needs.