An exhibition on self-sufficiency, which aims to bring international expertise and innovative technologies to Qatar, is expected to enhance Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives in the country.
Abdulrahman Saleh al-Obaidly, the chairman of Highsky for Tourism and Exhibitions, which is organising the ‘Qatar Self-Sufficiency Exhibition (QSSE) 2018’, said the QSSE will serve as a bridge between local, regional and international companies, especially production line manufacturers, representing food, healthcare, agriculture, heavy industry, wood, plastics and recycling and sustainability sectors.
The QSSE 2018 will be held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre from April 1-3 in a more than 10,000sqm exhibition space, and aims to attract exhibitors from Kuwait, Oman, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, Russia, the UK, Turkey, Spain, the US, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Malaysia, Singapore, Iran, China, India, South Africa, Portugal, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Sweden, among others, to highlight the range of opportunities available for overseas entities to contribute to Qatar’s future.



Abdulrahman Saleh al-Obaidly, the chairman of Highsky for Tourism and Exhibitions delivering a speech during the workshop.

Speaking to Gulf Times recently on the sidelines of a QSSE-related workshop, al-Obaidly noted that organisers are currently coordinating with concerned authorities such as the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) to facilitate the setting up of manufacturing plants and factories in the country.
“The Ministry of Economy and Commerce will be a main partner in this exhibition, and we are also expecting other government entities to come in this event; we will announce these partnerships very soon.
“We are also expecting partnerships between international companies and their Qatari counterparts in terms of sharing of best practices and ideas. Some investors are also coming to Qatar to explore the investment opportunities being offered in the country,” he said.
Al-Obaidly said he was expecting contracts to be signed between local and international companies from the integrated workshops and B2B sessions, as well as networking meetings.
He pointed out that the workshop, which was attended by 32 commercial attaches and representatives from various embassies in Qatar, emphasised how embassies and their respective countries can participate in the exhibition and contribute to the nation’s goals.
He said the session aims to equip embassy and trade representatives with the tools to promote the exhibition in their home countries, highlighting the vast range of opportunities available for manufacturers, stakeholders, influential entities, and key decision makers across production lines to showcase their latest innovations that can contribute towards Qatar’s National Vision 2030 plan.
The workshop revealed that Qatar’s imported goods and services stood at QR160bn from the first to the third quarter of 2015, and increased 7.2% to reach QR172bn during the same period in 2016.
“The workshop represented a dedicated platform to demonstrate the range of benefits in participation, from focused, vital facetime with key decision makers and target partners to a range of potential new business avenues and many more,” said Hisky for Tourism and Exhibitions CEO Youssef Ahmed Taher.