HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani joins Qatar Businessmen Association chairman HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud, HE the Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada, HE the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Dr Abdullah Saleh Mubarak al-Khulaifi, HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, Qatar Chamber chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim al-Thani, and QC deputy general manager Saleh Hamad al-Sharqi during the opening of the "Made in Qatar 2015." PICTURE: Shemeer Rasheed.
By Peter Alagos/Business Reporter
Products made by as many as 230 Qatari companies have been brought to the forefront at the “Made in Qatar 2015” exhibition opened by HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani at Doha Exhibition Centre.
The Qatar Chamber (QC) initiative, which runs until Friday, aims to attract more investments in the manufacturing sector and promote locally-produced goods. After the opening ceremony, the Prime Minister toured the exhibition area, which hosted Qatari firms from the furniture, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), food, construction, and building materials sectors. Sheikh Abdullah also listened to brief presentations delivered by officials of participating companies.
QC chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim al-Thani earlier said stimulating the local manufacturing industry would also help ease the country’s dependency on imported goods.
“In previous editions of the exhibition, ‘Made in Qatar’ has gained special importance and served as mechanism for collaboration with a wide range of industrial and manufacturing sectors in the country,” Sheikh Khalifa said.
Held under the patronage of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and in co-operation with the Ministry of Energy and Industry, the exhibition features for the first time a 2,500sq m bazaar where visitors could buy locally-made products.
QC deputy general manager Saleh Hamad al-Sharqi, who heads the “Made in Qatar” organising committee, said the chamber has provided free stalls measuring up to 12 sqm to local industrial companies participating in the event.
“Also, it would be a good opportunity to encourage local companies to improve and develop their products to make Qatari products more competitive in the global market,” al-Sharqi said.
QC also aims to be at the forefront of advancing local production and trade, and to encourage the Qatari business community to invest further in the industrial and manufacturing sectors, according to Sheikh Khalifa.
Aside from the two sectors, “Made in Qatar” aims to attract industry pioneers and to encourage young entrepreneurs to showcase their companies.
“Qatar’s robust and growing economy is an outcome of effective strategies that pay great interest to all industries whether in the oil or non-oil industry. As our economy and business community enjoyed investor confidence, Qatari products have, likewise, enjoyed consumer confidence. However, these products lack of promotion and advertising, which the ‘Made in Qatar’ exhibition aims to address,” he said.
Plans are also in the pipeline to bring “Made in Qatar” to Saudi Arabia, Oman, and other Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, Sheikh Khalifa said.
The QC chairman said he believes that giving regional exposure could help boost sales of participating companies similar to what was achieved after the “Made in Oman” roadshow in Saudi Arabia.
According to Sheikh Khalifa, Omani companies have recorded sales increase of up to 75% to 95% at the conclusion of the Saudi Arabia roadshow.
