Face to face: Why Qatar is a good place

Dr Yousif Al Horr, Barwa president of strategy and investment, Qatar.
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Why was Qatar named the best place to do business over the next 12 months?

Dr Yousif Al Horr answers: First, the economy of Qatar relies on natural resources, including oil and gas. Qatar has embarked on bold steps towards capitalising on these natural resources by establishing mega-projects to supply the world with gas. Second, the leadership in the state of Qatar has decided that the country is going to spend. It has indicated
that it will spend tens of millions of dollars to support this decision.

Ibrahim Jaidah answers: Simply because of the different sources of income alongside the famous income for us in this part of the world – oil. Natural gas has started generating a lot of income and the investment that the country has made throughout the past ten years in international business is generating money. A perfect yard stick to measure this statement is what we are seeing in the design industry. We are negotiating jobs larger than those we did last year.

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What kind of example has the government set?

Dr Yousif Al Horr answers: All government funded projects are continuing unabated. Also, despite the financial crisis that the world is facing, which nobody is completely immune to, Qatar announced a new scheme a few days ago to increase salaries and incentives for employees of government bodies. This sends a clear signal to the world outside that we will maintain our growth rate.

Ibrahim Jaidah answers: Among the biggest driving forces in Qatar are the “tycoon” developers. We have the UDC and some of the private companies. Then, of course, the government itself is still announcing awards of mega-projects. The fact that the government is pressing on is quite a statement in my opinion. Both in th GCC countries and the rest of
the world.

Have any projects in Qatar been placed on hold or cancelled?

Dr Yousif Al Horr answers: Looking at projects related to infrastructure, nothing has been put on hold. All public, government-funded infrastructure projects are ongoing. With respect to Barwa and Qatari Diar, which are the biggest players in the market, nothing has been put on hold. Maybe in the private sector, some individual investors are reconsidering their positions, but that’s it.

Ibrahim Jaidah answers: Not one of our jobs has been suspended or postponed. The flow of work is continuing and we are still employing. We hear in the market that the mid-sized investor has slowed down cautiously, but that would only account for very small time developers which are building 10-20 apartments and that is not a measure of the market on a large scale.

Going forward, how important is it to Qatar to maintain its traditional architectural styles?

Dr Yousif Al Horr answers: It’s vital. The Qatari Sustainability Assessment System (which Al Horr played a leading role in) takes account of this. It rewards the architect who adheres to the traditions and heritage of the state of Qatar and the region, and it rewards designs that relate to the concepts which are vital in this region, such as wind cooling methods, solar energy production, and measures to cut water consumption.

Ibrahim Jaidah answers: Qatar has become a role model for other GCC countries. Much was demolished between the 60s and 80s, but Qatar started the trend of rebuilding the old and getting influenced by the local vernacular. That doesn’t limit how far you can explore technology, yet the building should belong to its surroundings. If I put a Doha building somewhere else in the world it should look like it fits in.