Minister announces launch of ‘1,000 Opportunities Initiative’

He added that work has been done to raise the level of access to national goods and products to the largest number of sales outlets in the country. This is being achieved by allocating about 50 percent of the exhibits to Qatari products, in addition to meeting and coordinating with more than 30 governmental and semi-governmental agencies to motivate them to give priority to national products and increase their purchases in this field.
In the context of talking about the industrial sector in Qatar and the ministry’s achievements in this regard, he announced the launch of the ‘1,000 Opportunities Initiative’, comprised of an electronic platform within the Single Window Platform.
It allows local investors to view the existing and future opportunities and projects that would meet their various needs in terms of products or services provided by local private sector companies, he said pointing out that this initiative is expected to contribute to providing significant investment and economic opportunities that would benefit the industrial sector, which has seen remarkable development during the past years.
Qatar is currently witnessing a remarkable increase in the number of factories operating therein, bringing their number today to more than 806 factories, he said, pointing out that the established industrial facilities have introduced new products, amounting to over 845 ones produced over the past year.
The minister noted the increase in the value of investments in the food products industry in 2021, knowing that these investments have amounted to QR5 billion, an increase of 69 percent compared to their value in 2017.
For his part, QDB Acting Chief Executive Officer Abdulrahman Hesham Al Sowaidi expressed his appreciation for the continuous support of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to national companies that work alongside the QDB support system to ensure their growth ambitions and enhance their contribution to the national economy.
He said, “In the National Week, we celebrate Qatari products and encourage SMEs by promoting their products. We look forward to the active participation that we are well-accustomed to, of all members of the Qatari economic system and society members, to push our companies to new levels of development and excellence, in line with the goals of national development and economic diversification.”
The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of a number of stakeholders including the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Public Works Authority, Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation, Qatar Airways, and Katara Hospitality.
It is worth noting that the National Product Week initiative is the first of its kind in Qatar. It aims to celebrate the success of Qatari companies and their products in various sectors, enhance efforts to localise supply chains, as well as support self-sufficiency and economic diversification efforts in Qatar.
The National Product Week includes a variety of events and activities over a seven-day period, including a conference that brings together a group of national shareholders and the most prominent actors in the Qatari economy to discuss a number of topics and issues related to national products.
The events also include specialised workshops, aimed at honing the capabilities of entrepreneurs, and enabling them to contribute to strengthening the private sector, in addition to a series of virtual bilateral meetings between various suppliers and buyers from various economic sectors, to find new cooperation opportunities among them, and open new horizons that serve the interests of all entrepreneurs, and also pour into achieving the forum’s goals.
Moreover, the National Product Week activities entail a virtual exhibition that includes virtual pavilions introducing a variety of Qatari products.