Chamber’s new headquarters in Lusail City keeps pace with state’s economic boom, says chairman

Qatar Chamber general assembly meeting

In 2021, the Qatar Chamber has continued its efforts to support and develop the private sector in the country and to encourage investments and facilitate its growth, Qatar Chamber Chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Thani said during the Chamber’s general assembly meeting held on Wednesday at the Chamber’s headquarters.

His Excellency said the Chamber has also continued its work to support and safeguard the interests of private sector institutions and companies, and to limit the damages incurred by the private sector due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as the voice of the business community in the country.

While presiding over the meeting, HE Sheikh Khalifa reviewed the board of director’s report and enumerated Qatar Chamber’s achievements and activities during the past year.

The meeting was attended by many QC board members and QC members, businessmen and companies’ representatives.

The meeting’s agenda included reviewing the report of the board of directors on the activities of the Chamber in 2021 and discussing the QC’s fiscal report for 2021 through the auditor’s report on the final accounts and the statement of income and expenses for the year.

It also included approving the estimated budget for the fiscal year 2022 and appointing a new auditor for the 2022 financial year.

On the level of technical development and digitization, His Excellency stated that QC strengthened its digital structure in 2021 and worked to add further development to the services provided to the business community in order to facilitate its members and its affiliated companies and institutions, as well as provided all possible means to communicate with them, and complete their transactions with ease and professionalism.

Sheikh Khalifa noted that QC completed more than 56,000 electronic transactions, issued about 42,000 certificates of origin for exports and organised more than 145 events, whether in person or virtually.

The Chamber hosted about 40 trade and business delegations from several countries and participated in about 20 events that were held outside the country, he said, adding that it participated and organised many seminars and forums with concerned bodies to review issues related to the private sector.

HE also pointed out that it strengthened cooperation and communication with all concerned authorities in the country to discuss all matters related to the Qatari private sector and the obstacles it faces, in order to ensure that it plays its role in the national economy and ensures the continuity of business and projects.

The Chamber’s sectorial committees held 30 meetings during the last year to review issues and obstacles facing each sector, as well as ways of solving them in cooperation with the state’s concerned bodies, he added.

QC Chairman also noted: “In 2021, the International Road Transport Union announcement announced the activation of the TIR Agreement for Transit in the State of Qatar, in which the Chamber is the national guarantor and exporter of its implementation in Qatar. This announcement is an important step in strengthening the position of the State of Qatar as a strategic trading partner and creating more effective commercial transport and transportation corridors in the GCC region and globally”.

To keep pace with the economic boom Qatar witnessing, Sheikh Khalifa said that the Chamber signed an agreement with the Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company for purchasing a new building for the Chamber’s headquarters in the Commercial Boulevard in Lusail City.

HE said that the Chamber’s new building will be equipped to become a real home for businessmen and to provide all the activities and services to the private sector.

The building that was sold to be the new headquarters of Qatar Chamber, is a commercial/administrative building with a unique modern design with a height of ten floors.​

The Chamber’s current headquarters will be transferred to the new building after it is fully completed, he noted.

His Excellency expressed his sincere thanking and appreciation to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for his continued support for the private sector, underscoring the wise leadership’s interest to enable the private sector to perform its desired role as a real partner in the development march Qatar witnessing to achieve the Qatar National Vision 2030.