The Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani said yesterday that government will ease the procedures for work visas to enable private companies to meet the requirements of the job market.

These measures will follow the recent announcements about simplifying tourist and transit visa rules and procedures, the Prime Minister said, addressing a meeting with chairmen of companies listed in the Qatari stock market at the Sheraton Hotel. A number of ministers and top officials were present.
The Prime Minister said that the private sector must be an active partner to the government and a pillar of the national economy.

The government is committed to continue improving the ease of doing business and investing in Qatar by developing the legislative framework and simplifying procedures, said the Prime Minister.

He said there was a committee revising the procedures and charged with facilitating the private sector’s ability to participate in all of the country’s economic activities, highlighting changes to the visa and transit visas as an example of these efforts. There will also be a facilitation in the process of obtaining a work visa to allow the private sector to obtain its needs from the job market, said the Prime Minister.

The meeting served as a way to discuss different views on how to advance the business and investment environment in Qatar, in order to increase local and foreign investments. The Prime Minister agreed to form a joint committee between the government and the private sector that meets regularly to discuss challenges facing the private sector and their solutions. The committee would then present its reports to the Prime Minister.

Qatar is one of the biggest countries in terms of spending on national projects. Spending on major projects reached QR56bn in the first six months of the year. The past two months also saw signings of agreements worth QR16bn, said the Prime Minister.

He said that the budget for the 2017 fiscal year will see an increase in spending on the state’s big projects, something that will enhance economic growth in the country.
The Prime Minister highlighted some of the features of the 2017 budget, saying the government will focus on completing its major projects in infrastructure, education, health as well as projects tied to the World Cup 2022.

These commitments will lead to an increase in spending on those projects in the next three years, he added.

The Prime Minister noted that the number of listings in the stock market did not match the economic growth of the country and required further listings and initial public offerings in the future. The Prime Minister stressed that the government was keen on backing the role of the country’s financial market, adding that a number of companies and investment funds will list in the Qatari stock market in the coming period. The government is encouraging family business to list their companies in the stock market. There is a keenness to turn Msheireb into an international financial centre, said the Premier.

His Excellency then said that Qatar always enjoyed a strong coordination between fiscal and monetary policies, adding that the government is keen on supporting the role of the banking sector.

The Prime Minister said that the State Cabinet is giving the finishing touches to Qatar National Development Strategy 2017-2022, the second strategic plan in the process of achieving Qatar National Vision 2030.

Some of the features of the new strategy include enhancing the partnership with the private sector. Other features include developing the logistics sector, the process of offering land to investors, developing the legislative framework and simplifying the procedures for investment. (Source)

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