- Medical tourism, corporate diplomacy seen as emerging investment channels
Medical tourism and corporate business diplomacy are emerging key investment channels between Qatar and Uganda, an official of a Qatari firm has said.KON co-founder and chairman Mohamed R Massani told Gulf Times that a delegation of investors from Uganda lauded the medical treatment they experienced while in Qatar."We already received a few delegations...and they had received very good treatment,” explained Massani, who added that medical tourism was introduced after Ugandan delegations visiting Doha received treatment at partner clinics.He noted that Qatar’s healthcare infrastructure "is among the best in the region.” Massani stressed that medical tourism aligns with Qatar National Vision 2030, which seeks to diversify away from hydrocarbons."Qatar has been successful in its diversification strategy by tapping into non-energy sources of income, and one of these sectors is medical tourism. As part of these efforts, we are promoting medical tourism, in collaboration with DOC Medical Centre and the American Hospital Clinic,” he further explained.Beyond healthcare, Massani highlighted the role of corporate business diplomacy, a model where private firms partner with embassies to promote investment and tourism, as well as other sectors, and make the process easy for investors.Previously, KON Group co-founder and chairperson Hissa K al-Sowaidi explained to this paper that the company’s business diplomacy initiative "enhances opportunities to virtually continue our hard work with our strategic partners and boost bilateral business relations.”Al-Suwaidi also stressed that KON Group is keen to participate in the country’s economic development by serving as a bridge between companies in Qatar and their counterparts worldwide.Similarly, Massani stressed that "the collaboration between the company and different embassies in the country would play a role in promoting trade and investments between Qatar and other countries.”Asked about the company’s partner embassies, Massani said KON Group had already established partnerships with "mostly African countries,” citing Uganda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, among others. But he stressed that the company will be expanding these partnerships to other nations.Emphasising the significance of the African continent, Massani described it as a "virgin investment landscape with so much untapped potential. "We need to attract investors from Qatar to utilise these opportunities,” noted Massani, pointing out KON Group’s sustainability initiatives, including animal waste recycling and food production facilitation offices.The company is currently working with the Government of Uganda to open KON Group’s first facilitation office for food products, Massani also said, adding that "we have seen very good incentives from the government.”