Doha: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) on Wednesday organized the Public-Private Dialogue Forum, bringing together senior officials and representatives from the private sector. The forum aimed to identify key challenges in the business environment and work towards practical solutions and joint initiatives.
According to Qatar News Agency, in his opening remarks, HE MOCI's Undersecretary Mohammed bin Hassan Al Malki emphasized that the forum's first edition underscores the Ministry's commitment to fostering direct communication with private sector partners. This initiative seeks to address challenges, gather feedback, and reach practical recommendations that align with economic development priorities, while enhancing transparency and trust between the sectors.
He highlighted the rapid growth of Qatar's economy and the increasing momentum of investments, driven by a vision for economic diversification. The government is focused on empowering the private sector to spearhead growth in line with the Third National Development Strategy and Qatar National Vision 2030.
Significant progress has been made in improving the business environment through legislative and regulatory reforms and innovative digital solutions, positively impacting Qatar's position in international rankings. These efforts have placed Qatar ninth in the Global Competitiveness Index and among the top ten in the Global Competitiveness Report for 2025. Additionally, Qatar advanced to fifth globally in the Business Environment Efficiency Index for 2025.
HE Mohammed bin Hassan Al Malki noted that the Ministry is collaborating with government entities and the private sector to create a business environment rooted in transparency, competitiveness, and efficiency. This includes streamlining procedures and enhancing services such as automatic tax number issuance and labor recruitment approvals. The expansion of electronic services via a single window platform now makes 95 percent of services available online.
A multilingual platform was also launched to facilitate access for local and international investors to the Qatari market, with over 1,400 activities open to foreign investment. The Ministry simplified import procedures by eliminating the requirement to match commercial activity and implemented a unified customs tariff across the GCC, reducing import costs and expanding supply options.
Industrial incentives introduced by the Ministry, including reduced rental rates for industrial, logistics, and commercial lands, save the private sector over QAR 100 million annually. Environmental permit procedures were simplified, enhancing project feasibility and encouraging entrepreneurship in high-value sectors.
The Ministry is developing several legislative projects, including a new public-private partnership law, a law on attracting foreign investment, and a bankruptcy law aligned with international practices. The Ministry is committed to holding the forum regularly to achieve ambitious goals.
The forum featured a panel discussion with participation from HE MOCI's Undersecretary Mohammed bin Hassan Al Malki and other senior officials. The panelists discussed regulatory updates that have facilitated the business environment and supported the private sector.
HE the Undersecretary reiterated the Ministry's initiatives to simplify business operations and create an attractive investment climate. These include comprehensive establishment upon commercial registration, automatic issuance of tax cards, labor recruitment approvals, and trade name selection services. These measures have reduced establishment time and minimized the involvement of government entities.
MOCI's Assistant Undersecretary for Industry and Business Development Affairs Saleh Majid Al Khulaifi presented the Ministry's initiatives to strengthen partnership with the private sector. This includes forming sectoral committees to monitor challenges in various sectors and propose solutions.
Qatar Chamber participated in the forum, where Board Member Engineer Ali bin Abdul Latif Al Misned emphasized the importance of public-private sector dialogue for private sector development. The forum concluded with sessions featuring private sector stakeholders discussing challenges and solutions to support the forum's objectives.