‘QC’s upcoming HQ a reflection of Qatar’s economic boom’

Qatar Chamber’s upcoming headquarters in Lusail City is a reflection of the country’s economic boom, Chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani said as he reviewed the Chamber’s last year’s activities at its general assembly meeting (AGM) on Wednesday.
The Chamber had an eventful year in 2021, having organised more than 145 events, besides issuing 56,000 electronic transactions and around 42,000 certificates of origin for exports.
The Chamber also hosted around 40 trade and business delegations from several countries and participated in around 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.
Shiekh Khalifa said the Chamber continued its efforts to support and develop the private sector in the country and to encourage investments and facilitate its growth throughout 2021. He 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.
Presiding over the general assembly meeting, 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, Sheikh Khalifa said 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 also pointed out that it strengthened cooperation and communication with all authorities concerned 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.
“In 2021, the International Road Transport Union 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,” the QC chairman said.
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 will house the new headquarters of the Qatar Chamber is a commercial/administrative building with a unique modern design and has 10 floors.
The Chamber’s current headquarters will be transferred to the new building after it is fully completed, he noted.
He expressed his sincere gratitude 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.