Ali Abdul Latif Al Misnad, (fourth left) Board member of Qatar Chamber (QC), Dr Bahia Tahzib-Lie, (fourth right) Ambassador of Netherlands to Qatar, during the meeting with QC members and Netherlands delegates at the QC headquarters. Pic: Abdul Basit / th
Bilateral trade between Qatar and the Netherlands grew by 40 percent from $926m in 2017 to $1.3bn in 2018. Netherlands also topped Qatar’s non-oil export destinations last year, reflecting growing mutual investments in both countries.
Speaking on the sidelines of the a meeting with the visiting Dutch Sports Trade Mission, Qatar Chamber Board Member Ali Abdel Latif Al Misnad, said Netherlands is one of the biggest investors in Qatar; with the participation of Dutch companies in a number of mega projects in the country in various sectors including energy, agriculture, healthcare, education consultancy, engineering, services, and supply.
“Dutch companies like Arcadis, Strukton, Philips Lighting, Philips Healthcare and Shell are involved in some of the key mega projects in Qatar. Similarly, Netherlands is one of the most important investment destinations for Qatar. Netherlands is home to several Qatari investments and companies such as Katara Hospitality and Muntajat”, Al Misnad added.
He also highlighted on the country’s economic diversification, wherein the private sector is further encouraged to invest in non-oil activities such as renewable energy, technology, small and medium industries, as well as in attracting foreign direct investment and localization of industries in areas that would strengthen the economy and achieve the country’s self-sufficiency.
“I’ll take this opportunity to invite Dutch companies that are looking to invest in Qatar to benefit from the opportunities provided by the State to implement some of the largest developments in the region, which are part of achieving the goals of Qatar National Vision and hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022. There is a lot of room for cooperation between both countries’ companies to forge joint partnerships in all sectors especially in sports projects. At the same time, I call the private sector of Qatar to invest in the Dutch economy as it is one of the strongest economies of the European Union”, Al Misnad also said.
Dutch Ambassador to Qatar, Dr Bahia Tahzib-Lie, said a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement was signed between the Dutch government and a consortium of Dutch sports-related companies at her residence last week. The three-year PPP agreement aims to advance sports business and innovation in Qatar for the next three years, the Ambassador added.
She also said, “We have a very vibrant bilateral relations with Qatar and we see great potential to continue enhancing, deepening, and broadening it. We’ve had various trade missions and also we’re very strong when it comes to horticulture and agriculture. We’re the second largest agriculture exporter of the world even though we’re such a small country. And now, we’re also very pleased that we have this sports consortium here. At
Netherlands, what really makes us tick is really innovation. That drives us. We’re passionate about that. And especially, if you look at these companies which have come to Qatar, they are so innovative and they’re coming with the latest developments. And because we’re having the World Cup 2022 in Qatar, I see so much potential of working closer together”.
