Qatar´s vision. Beyond Energy by NAYRA DELGADO

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QATAR

Going beyond energy

Qatar is sitting on phenomenal oil and gas wealth, but rather than rely on energy revenues the country has embarked on an ambitious diversification program to turn Qatar into a knowledge-based economy of the future.

In the early 1920´s Abdullah Darwish used to make the 12 km journey across the unmerciful desert to sell sheep for a living. The people of the area asked him one day, why such a struggle for such little money? Darwish, who used to buy the sheep at one Gulf rupee each and sell them for one and a half, would astutely reply: “It is not just half a rupee, it’s 50% profit.” With this determination, Abdullah Darwish founded his own company in 1944. Today, better known as Darwish Holdings, his conglomerate is worth more than $1 billion and has diversified his core retail business into construction and real estate. The story of Darwish parallels Qatar’s meteoric growth, particularly over the past decade with the country going from being a quiet but affluent backwater of the Gulf to become one of the fastest growing economies in the world and a major player in energy, business, politics, and education. True enough that the country’s massive oil and gas reserves have bankrolled Qatar’s development, but prudent usage of revenues has made Qatar mean much more than just oil and gas. Indeed, the statistics speak for themselves. Economic growth was 12% last year, while GDP has surged from $7 billion in 1995 to $88 billion in 2008, and is slated to hit $100 billion by 2010. Furthermore, with a GDP per capita projected to grow 23% this year to $96,484, according to Gulf Finance House, Qatar not only tops the Middle East but is also one of the highest in the world, far higher than the USA’s $47,000. Qatar’s latest annual budget is a clear indication of the country’s strong economic position, with a budget surplus of $2.03 billion and revenues of $28.3 billion (QR103.3 billion), 43% higher than the previous financial year. Some 76% of the budget has been allocated for development projects, with $8.4 billion for major infrastructure projects, $2.5 billion for healthcare and social services projects, and a staggering 21% of the budget, some $5.41 billion, earmarked for education alone. It’s no surprise that Qatar has the highest project 1

spending per person in the region at $172,000. The word that best describes such liberal funding is vision. Qatar is not just sitting on its oil and gas wealth and making do with a mono-economy. This would be the easy option, particularly as Qatar is now the world’s largest exporter of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) at 30 million tons annually and, with 900 million cubic feet of reserves, an export capacity that is expected to more than double by 2020. Furthermore, with some 133 by-products from LNG, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), piped gas, and plans to become the Gas To Liquids (GTL) capital of the world via exports of one million barrels per day, energy could be all that Qatar is about. Instead the vision is to create a future knowledge economy and diversify the country away from energy so that by 2012 some 60% of the economy will be non-energy related. “Qatar aspires to achieve its economic vision by building on its current strengths and overcoming the challenges. The ultimate objective of the economic vision is to create a modern, diversified, knowledge-based competitive economy,” said H.E. Sheikh Hamad bin Jabor bin Hassim Al Thani, Secretary General of the Planning Council, at a conference on the future of Qatar. To achieve this Qatar has deliberately taken a different approach than fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, particularly the booming Emirate of Dubai. “The philosophy is different. What is happening in Dubai is growth, in Qatar it is development,” said Abdulwahed Abdullah Al-Mawlawi, GM and CEO of Al Ahli Hospital and former CEO of the Commercial Bank of Qatar. “If you compare Qatar to Dubai, you find that in Dubai the assets - what is being built - are not owned by Dubai itself, but from overseas investments pouring in. In Qatar all the economic growth we are witnessing is solely owned by Qatar, which makes a huge difference when it comes to a long-term prognosis of the economy,” he added.

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PROJECTS GALORE Qatar’s small population of 1.45 million people, of which 250,000 are Qatari citizens, is a further boon for structured development, although in the next six years the government expects that figure to reach 3 million as infrastructure projects are completed and the economy expands. Indeed, some 586,000 jobs are to be created by 2015, and an estimated $142 billion worth of projects are planned over the next six years, from the multi-billion dollar Doha International Airport which will be able to handle 50 million passengers a year, to an Energy City, Media City, economic zones and tourism developments. Such projects, evident on arrival with Doha and its environs full of cranes and road diversions, do make the country seem like a colossal building site. Such growth, both physical and financial, has however led to galloping inflation, hitting 14.75% in the first quarter of 2008, the highest in the world’s biggest oil-exporting region.

But with economic growth in the double digits, high liquidity, and the cost of raw materials, foodstuffs and manpower continuing to spiral upwards, such inﬂationary pressure will only drop off once the dust from years of construction settles down. “The infrastructure that we are building today will provide a better atmosphere from a legal standpoint and from an infrastructural standpoint. Other sectors will then be more active than today and, after 2012, we will have planned, steady growth in the range of 6-7% a year,” said H.E. Youssef Hussein Kamal, the Minister of Finance. And while much of the world is recoiling from the ﬁnancial crisis, Qatar is not expected to be hit as hard as neighboring countries, due in part to LNG exports being based on long-term contract prices and many of the projects coming on-stream this year. Indeed, Qatar’s economy is still slated to grow by 13% in 2009, way above the less than 1% expected growth in the USA and above its 2008 growth of around 12%. Furthermore, most of the projects underway in Qatar are backed by locals. In the case of Darwish Holdings, it is about multi-mil-

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lion dollar real estate projects such as the $200 million five-star residential building “The Darwish Tower” that will feature a rooftop Japanese-style swimming pool and spa with state-of-the-art technology. “There might be a slow in growth [in 2009], but we still see growth and the positive side is that it will be cheaper to develop or undertake construction projects,” said Bader Abdullah AlDarwish, who has continued his investments in the sector. His latest project in Doha is Lagoona, a 127,000 square meters two level lifestyle shopping centre with 53,000 square meters of retail space that is set to create a new and luxurious “shopping experience”. “We have the added benefit of proven relationships with many of the world’s biggest and most prestigious brands. We have a 50 year history with Rolex, a 40 year history with Sony, and a 30 year history with Chanel to name a couple of examples. This gives us a head start in terms of attracting tenants. We are going to ensure the shopping centre is an extension of our commitment to luxury,” said Darwish. Meanwhile, Qatar has fully embarked on its diversification program, spurred on by a mandate from HH Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani that all Qatari companies and joint ventures are to have a 20% Qatari workforce, known as “Qatarization.” Currently, Qataris make up 12% of the workforce and less than 2% of the private sector. This is where Qatar’s vision for a future knowledge economy comes into play, as while a certain number of Qataris will be employed by the energy sector, such diversification will create innumerable opportunities in other professions and white -collar jobs. Turning this into a reality is the non-profit Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, founded by the Emir in 1995 to educate the country’s youth as well as turn Qatar into an educational hub for the Middle East. Private enterprise is also pushing Qatar away from reliance on imports towards more specialized production, such as the Qatari German Company of Medical Devices (GQMD), a manufacturer of high quality medical devices such as IV Catheters, Standard Syringes and Safety Syringes. Hazem Al Sharif, managing director of QGMD, said the company settled on Qatar as their base of operations due to the country’s geo-strategic positioning and approach to industry. “Qatar is between the East and West, and industry is cheap because Qatar has oil and the government provides the land for all businesses,” he said. “Quality of the west and prices of the east, this summarizes who we are. We try to achieve high quality in a low price formula.” With some 95% of all production exported, the company plans to invest in the diabetes and hemodialisis business as well as enter

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the US market. “The first phase was to start with syringes, IV’s and needles. By the end of 2006 we started commercial production, where we achieved all the certifications such as ISO 9000 and ISO 13485, CA mark for European countries, BCT for Russian Federation, and FDA compliances as we target the US market. We have also developed our own staff because we believe in human factors in enhancing productivity. Our company is on the way to be a global player in the medical device business,” said Al Sharif. GQMD’s ambition reflects Qatar’s drive to become the nexus of healthcare in the Middle East, investing billions in healthcare facilities and infrastructure. “In five years from now Qatar will be the heart of healthcare. And look at what Qatar is offering: safety, security, health, education, sports, lifestyle, and its tax free, plus it is a family country,” concludes Al Sharif. In banking and finance, Qatar is positioning itself as a global powerhouse to reflect its surging economy. During 2002-2006, almost all banking sectors witnessed a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the double-digits, credit facilities surged 146.3% in 2006, and the external credit of commercial banks grew 222.8% in 2006 and 64.1% last year. Fuelling such growth is the country’s booming real estate sector, while the Qatar Financial Center is hoping to have attracted 100 international players in banking, insurance and financial services by the year end. The Doha Securities Market (DSM) has soared in recent years, IPOs have been heavily oversubscribed, and banks are witnessing unprecedented growth nationally and internationally as the big players expand in the Gulf and further afield. However, with the impact of the global financial crisis hitting the Gulf, the region's fledgling bourses tumbled $500 billion in the second half of 2008, and by a further $54 billion in January, with Qatar's DSM dipping by some $17 billion. The same can be said of Qatar’s blue chip companies and telecom sector, with Qatar ranked as the 32nd most networked economy in the world in 2007-2008, the only GCC country alongside Dubai to feature in the top 35. With Qatar steamrolling ahead at such a frantic pace, across the board, the country is changing fast but with a clear idea of where it wants to go as it makes a mark for itself on the world map. As Kamal put it: “I can say growth is going according to plan and we are achieving what is being planned.”

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QATAR FOUNDATION:

CREATING A BETTER GENERATION

While Qatar sits on colossal amounts of oil and gas, the country is not putting all of its eggs in one basket by being a mono-economy. Instead, there is a cultural and educational revolution taking place in Qatar, behind which is HH Sheikha Mozah’s brainchild the Qatar Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 1995 as a vehicle to convert the country’s current, but finite, mineral wealth into durable human capital. With this aim, the Foundation’s Education City has attracted five top universities from North America that cover the educational spectrum, from fashion and interior design at VCU-Qatar to medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College, engineering at Texas A&M, business and IT at CarnegieMellon, and politics at the George University School of Foreign Service. Spread over 2500 acres and located only 20 minutes drive from Doha, Education City is exclusively dedicated to the development of knowledge. And with all facilities located on one site it will be easy to transform research or ideas from the universities into reality at two of the country’s incubators, the Qatar Science and Technology Park and the Sidra Medical and Research Center, which is to open in 2010 with the largest endowment for an institution of its kind in the world at some $7.9 billion. Fahad Mutlaq Al-Otaibi is part of the new generation of Qataris benefiting from the opportunities the country is offering him. Al Otaibi not only works as a helicopter pilot, but also runs a car rental business, and has website business for small and medium sized enterprises. And while growing his business, Fahad got a scholarship at CarnegieMellon University. “I found out about this particular entrepreneurship course at CarnegieMellon and only later I realised how important this course was for me,” he said. The younger generation is also utilizing the advantages of the modern Qatar. Mohammed, 14, dreams of becoming a professional tennis player. He knows that his hero, Roger Federer, will be difficult to emulate, but he lives in one of the world’s best possible countries to try and reach his dream. Scarcely three hours after his prayers at dawn, Mohammed goes to the Aspire School of Sports and starts his intensive training. Aspire, a factory of future Olympiads, is just one step more towards the Emir’s dream of making Qatar a global hub for sports. For the past decade, the country has concentrated on the creation of state-of-theart sports facilities that have allowed Qatar to host world-class events, from the Commercial Bank Golf Masters at the Doha Golf Club to the 2006 Asian Games, to the first ever Motor Grand Prix in the Middle East and the Qatar Sony Ericsson Tennis Masters. But sports in Qatar is not all about money, it is also a part of the culture and a state of mind important for the development of its people. “We have created what is called the school of Olympic Games, because we want to focus on the kids who are the future of this country,” said Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC). All these world-class sports events have already put Qatar on the map, but the sky is the limit and Qatar is now bidding to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

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QATAR FINANCIAL CENTER

Since the Qatar Financial Center (QFC) was established in 2005, many world-class financial institutions have opened offices in Qatar to benefit from the exponential economic growth being experienced by the country and the Gulf region generally. From the around 100 companies that have based themselves out of the QFC in the past three years, including the Royal Bank of Scotland, Citibank, ICBC, AXA, Morgan Stanley and State Street, the center is slated to attract many more in 2009. With Gulf countries jockeying for the position of regional financial hub, the QFC has adopted a unique approach to attract the best players. “The QFC is based on a very different model to counterparts in either Dubai or Bahrain,” said Stuart Pearce, CEO and Director General of the QFC Authority. “We provide a wide range of support and services to assist firms in establishing operations in Qatar, from research and analysis for their business plans to assistance in the provision of premises and operational services, as well as a “concierge” service which helps their staff in getting settled in Qatar.” There are three principal factors that set the QFC apart from other regional players. The QFC is a completely onshore center whose activities are fully integrated into those of the State as a whol. Secondly, the QFC Regulatory Authority is an independent regulatory body that has created a “best in class” legal and business environment (including a separate judiciary) based on leading financial centers such as New York and London to attract firms to Qatar. It has a broad range of regulatory powers to authorise, supervise and, when necessary, discipline firms and individuals providing financial services. “The third is that there is real business to be done based on substantial natural resources and a huge investment program, ranging from infrastructure and energybased project finance to a program of diversification and expanding international trade for the region as a whole,” said Pearce. New developments are also underway in Qatar that will distinguish Qatar from its neighbors, in the shape of a unified single financial regulatory platform that will bring together the QFC Regulatory Authority as well as regulatory units of the Central Bank and the Qatar Financial Markets Authority. The proposed investment by NYSE Euronext in the Doha Securities Market is also a very significant driver for the development of Qatar’s capital markets. “The QFC Authority has a number of significant projects underway to help develop the insurance and reinsurance industry in Qatar and the region, to develop the financial workforce in Qatar and to help disseminate financial knowledge globally,” added Pearce. More information about the QFC and QFC Regulatory Authority can be found at www.qfc.com.qa and www.qfcra.com.qa © QFC

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FINAL DESTINATION:

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QATAR

Five times a day, the Muslim call to prayer echoes through the maze of narrow passageways of Souk Waqif, the historical centre of Doha. The muezzin is now joined by the constant sound of hammer blows, drills and various machines emanating from a landscape of skyscrapers and cranes that form a new, miniature Manhattan. Among the mega projects underway in Doha, the $3.3 billion Al Wa’ab City stands out for its originality and different approach. It is not about large towers and crowded spaces. Stretching over 19 million square meters - some 300 football fields - Al Waáb is a low-rise, low-density multi-use development that expects to bring a different experience to the urban landscape. “It will unquestionably become an icon and a destination of choice for residents and visitors alike, setting a benchmark for urban retail development in the region,” said Brian Meilleur, President of Al Wa’ab City. With 180 high-rise towers slated for construction in the West Bay area by 2013, more than double the 69 towers that dominate the skyline today, Al Wa’ab is certainly bucking the trend by not heading upwards. Fittingly, Al Waáb is derived from the Arabic word for a “spacious plot of land,” housing around 8,000 people in 2000 units, giving it one of the lowest population densities of any of Qatar’s new developments. This ‘city within a city’ is the first project to be completely privately owned in Qatar. To have one of these palatial residential villas costs on average around $3 million but it is worth it according to Carla Issa, Vice-President of Marketing & Sales. “In Al Lewan and Hattan villas you are not only buying the land, you are buying developed land,” she said. Although Wa’ab City is slated for near completion by 2010, the villas will be ready for occupancy by the third and fourth quarters of 2009. The project will include a five star hotel, the stunning 44,000 square meters piazza Barahat Al Waáb, and over 300,000 square meters of retail and commercial space as well as many spacious and green landscaped areas with plenty of room for children to play. “We have engaged world-class designers and architects, specializing in urban retail developments, to help us design Barahat Al Wa’ab,” said Meilleur. “We have reviewed, in detail, numerous successful urban retail developments around the world to take the best of those developments and incorporate them into the project. No effort has been

Qatar is in the midst of a real estate spending spree, with 180 tower blocks rising in the West Bay area, and multi-billion dollar residential projects altering not only the landscape, but also the sea.

spared in ensuring that Barahat Al Wa’ab will offer the environment and amenities necessary to make it a unique and pleasurable experience for retail tenants, visitors and Al Wa’ab City residents.” Al Wa’ab is also expected to boost tourism to the country. “With the drawing power of Barahat Al Wa’ab, and the development of a world-class hotel, Al Wa’ab City will play a meaningful role in helping to develop the tourism infrastructure in Qatar,” added Meilleur. “The retail and dining components of Barahat Al Wa’ab will offer tourists new options while the hotel’s world-class business, conference and meeting facilities will help to attract new visitors.” The Land Qatar is another of the major Qatari residential and commercial real estate providers, and a crucial developer in The PearlQatar project with a $2 billion premium real estate portfolio featuring 17 towers on Porto Arabia and Viva Bahriya, in addition to Perlita Gardens, a private gated luxury community. Surrounded by the splendor of the marina, these towers will offer residents some of the most breathtaking views found in the region. “No matter what building you are in, what floor you are on, or what side you are facing, you will have spectacular views”, said Hussain Fahkri of Land Qatar. While such mega projects are attracting investors from far and wide,

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with Qatar ranked as the second most attractive GCC market for property investment in an Arabian Business survey, the real estate market outside of such billion dollar developments is also witnessing strong growth. And with so many projects underway, infrastructure is also being built at a rapid pace to keep up with construction. Some $2 billion is to be spent on the world’s longest bridge that will link Qatar and Bahrain, a $13 billion causeway between Qatar and Abu Dhabi is slated for construction, while $7 billion is earmarked for the modernization of Qatar’s road and social infrastructure. Ultimately, once all these projects come online, Qatar will look like another country. But as with everything else in Qatar, further change could happen if Qatar is successful in its bids for the 2018 soccer World Cup and the 2020 Olympics.

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LUSAIL: WHERE IMAGINATION DOES NOT REACH

Imagine the opportunity to design an entire community from scratch, so that everything could be meticulously planned to be just the way you want it; that is what Lusail has set out to do. Located 15 km north of Doha on the eastern coast, Lusail will be Qatar’s newest city. The scale and ambitions of the project are nothing short of audacious and it is one of the largest construction developments anywhere in the world. The project is being master planned and developed by Qatari Diar, an indigenous company fully owned by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), which was created to support Qatar’s growth but also overseas. The site covers a total of some 35 million square meters (35 km2) and will eventually house 200,000 people, equivalent to 30% of Doha’s current population. Lusail is quite literally a city that will rise from the dessert, an engineering feat of no mean proportion and will have once finished 19 beaches stretching a combined total of 4 km. The city will include a variety of different themed areas within it, including Entertainment city and Energy city, to be built at budgets of $3 billion and $2.6 billion respectively. Entertainment City is a blend of Arab hospitality and contemporary lifestyles based around the theme of ancient Arab incense trading routes. A further phase of the project is the $2.6 billion Energy City Qatar (ECQ) that is being pitched to become the hub of the energy business in the region. It will be the region’s first dedicated hydrocarbon’s centre and will also include Energy Efficient Architecture to make the city more environmentally friendly. Real estate company the Land Qatar is also progressing with its work in Energy City, where it is building “the Atrium”, a state-of-the-art, 50,000 square meter commercial office development located within the city that will be the company’s first commercial complex. Featuring a cutting edge design, fusing glass, wood and concrete, ‘The Atrium’ will be the first office development completed in ECQ, providing five floors of office space.

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WHERE HERITAGE MEETS LUXURY: THE

PEARL OF THE GULF

a yacht club, schools, restaurants and lifestyle amenities, and two million square meters of upscale retail space with some of the world’s most renowned luxury brands. “There is a difference between a real estate project and creating a destination,” said Walid Maalouf, general manager of UDC’s Hospitality Development Company (HDC), underlining the importance of the Emir´s vision in the development of the country. Maalouf, who is in charge of creating partnerships with globally recognized leaders as well as with promising hotel and restaurant brands, thinks that “both renowned players and newcomers are fully aware that The Pearl-Qatar is a natural progression for this country and the place for significant future happenings and events, so their presence makes perfect business sense.” It is a safe statement as not only did the Middle East record the largest percentage increase in tourism in 2007, but especially because Qatar was then ranked as the Middle East’s top travel destination and numbered 37 out of 130 countries in the Travel and Tourism Competitive Index (TTCI) 2008. Promoted as the premier destination in Qatar for luxury living, with a charming mix of European fashion and Arabic culture, Porto Arabia is the first phase of The Pearl Qatar island and one of the most upscale regions in the project. With a 2.5 km boardwalk that includes high-end restaurants, cafes, and shops, Porto Arabia also includes one of the biggest marinas in the region and it is set to host a number of exhibitions that have started even prior to the welcome to the island’s first residents. Ever since the opening of the boardwalk and the launching of Tower 31 in Porto Arabia, the Best High-Rise Development 2008 according to CNBC Arabian Property Awards, happenings at The Pearl are a constant. One recent event was the Privatdrive Supercar Show that drew crowds to see the most luxurious and fastest super cars in the world.

Qatar is becoming one of the Arabian Gulf’s most promising leisure destinations, with $15 billion being invested in hotels, museums and theme parks to nearly double tourist arrivals per year to 1.4 million by 2010, and boost the average stay from 1.5 to four days. With this aim, 40 hotels are slated to be finished by end 2009, and mega-projects like The Pearl, a manmade island with a $14 billion budget, are underway. “What has happened in Doha in the past few years is nothing less than an absolute miracle of far-reaching implications not only for Qatar, but also for the whole region at large,” said Hussam Ahmed, general manager of retail leasing at The Pearl-Qatar, the development that is transforming Qatar physically and in terms of leisure options. The engineering involved in this stunning construction was a huge feat since the Pearl-Qatar is an offshore, Riviera-style island located on reclaimed land 350 meter off the coast of Doha’s prestigious West Bay District and 25 kilometers away from the International Airport. Being developed and promoted by the United Development Company (UDC), one of Qatar’s leading private sector shareholding companies, it will be one of the world’s largest man-made islands, adding 32 km to Qatar’s coast and approximately four million square meters of land. “Fine living, shops and restaurants featuring the world’s best known brands and water-side haven of marine activity are all combined to create an environment second to none in the Arabian Gulf,” said Malik Awan, general manager of United Fashion Company (UFC) who believes the “island paradise,” as he calls The Pearl, will create an incredible lifestyle. Its name and location, on a former pearl diving site, highlights the country’s traditions and strong historical and cultural ties to the sea. As the first urban development to offer freehold and residential rights to international investors, it will eventually be home to a multicultural community of over 41,000 residents. The Pearl island will include five and six-star hotels, marinas,

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ICT QATAR: VISION FOR THE FUTURE Since its creation in 2004, efforts by ictQATAR, to improve Information and Communication Technology use and effectiveness seem to be paying off. Last year, the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Information Technology Report ranked Qatar as the 32nd most networked economy out of 127 countries, up from 36th position in the previous report. Out of all the GCC countries, Qatar and the UAE were the only ones in the top 35. As Dr Hessa al Jaber, Secretary General of ictQATAR, said: “I am proud of what the ictQATAR team has accomplished. When we opened the doors in 2005, ﬁve people made up the entire staff. Now, 170 experts are on the team. Their work has helped us achieve this ranking – a spot that squarely places Qatar as a regional leader. And we’re not stopping there. Business Monitor International recently projected Qatar’s IT market to grow to a value of around $550 million by 2012 as ICT continues to underpin the government’s initiatives to improve life for those who live and work in Qatar.” ictQATAR has also been paramount to liberalizing the telecommunications sector, with the recent decision to license a second mobile provider in the market, ending the monopoly held by Qatar Telecom (Qtel). As regulator, ictQATAR granted the second mobile licence to the Vodafone and Qatar Foundation Consortium. Vodafone Europe BV holds a 51% stake and Qatar Foundation, a 49% stake. The consortium holds 45% of the share capital of Vodafone Qatar, while government institutions will

have 15%, and the remaining 40% will be offered through an IPO to Qatari nationals on the Doha Securities Market (DSM). “Qatar’s economy needs an open telecommunications marketplace where business and individual consumers benefit from high service quality, competitive prices, excellent customer service, and innovative products,” said al Jaber. Beyond the telecomm u n i c a t i o n s s e c t o r, ictQATAR has partnered with the National Health Authority and Hamad Medical Corporation to develop an integrated national health information platform. “This platform – including a secure electronic health record – will revolutionize how healthcare is delivered,” said Al Jaber. “Quick, accurate and up-to-date medical records and information will be available at the point of care. The result will be better patient safety and healthcare quality.” In e-education, ictQATAR established an e-learning portal that provides 4,000 free courses on various subjects, offered in Arabic, French and English, with full accreditation from the likes of the American Council on Education and the Project Management Institute. ictQATAR is collaborating with the world’s largest purveyor of computer skills certification — the not-for-profit International Computer Driving License (ICDL). So far, 3,500 government employees are participating in training sessions to deepen their computing knowledge and skills. ictQATAR plans to offer ICDL to private sector professionals as well as the unemployed.

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we’re creating a networked nation www.ictQATAR.qa

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