By Peter Alagos/Business Reporter
Extending more support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can help boost the supply chain and improve the economy by reducing the number of imports, Qatar Shell media relations manager Ali Reyad al-Ansari said.
“In any industry, SMEs can do a lot in helping bolster a supply chain, especially when you’re talking about local SMEs, then you start depending less on importing goods from the outside,” al-Ansari noted.
He also underscored the importance of SMEs and their role in developing Qatar’s business sector, saying “the country is doing the most it can to support them.”
Al-Ansari said once more products are distributed by the local manufacturing industry “it definitely helps the supply chain and helps the security of the supply chain.”
Earlier, the state-owned Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and Qatar Shell launched the second instalment of the annual “SME Business Opportunity Workshop” which was attended by more than 100 SMEs and business owners in the country.
Al-Ansari said the workshop aims “to get local SMEs to join our family of importers and the family of Shell and Pearl GTL not only to help us in our business here but also to bring the level of these companies at par with international standards.”
“So not only will these companies be competitive at a local level or on a regional level but they will be competitive at an international level as well,” al-Ansari told Gulf Times at the sidelines of the workshop.
According to al-Ansari, an opportunity to penetrate the energy sector can serve as a jump-off point for local SMEs to capture an international market.
“We can depend on these local companies to help us and at the same time take the SMEs to a level that is internationally competitive. And once they are competitive according to Shell’s high standards, they are able to venture into any other oil and gas related-work whether outside Qatar or in the region,” al-Ansari said. “When SMEs become developed and have conquered the local market, I think the natural course that they would take is to branch out and do business elsewhere.”
Al-Ansari noted that while the business opportunities are specific to the oil and gas industry, he “sees nothing wrong” for SMEs that have been able to penetrate the energy sector “to go out and benefit” from opportunities related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup or the Qatar National Vision 2030.
“Ultimately, what we want is to help build strong SMEs in Qatar because our goal is to develop the nation and if these companies likewise do well abroad, then they will give a good name for Qatar,” al-Ansari said.
