DOHA: Service sector in Qatar offers immense opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Qatar, said Arancha Gonzalez, Executive Director, International Trade Centre (ITC) yesterday.
“SMEs in Qatar are good at producing goods but they are excellent in providing services,” said Gonzalez at the World Export Development Forum (WEDF). “To offer services, a firm need not require a huge work force. Even a single person can start a firm offering a service. Success
in service sector does not
depend on quantity or volume, it is driven by quality of service,” she said.
She added that in a country like Qatar, which has comparatively less population, SMEs should also focus on service sector.
The forum is being organised by Qatar Development Bank (QDB) in cooperation with the International Trade Centre, a subsidiary organisation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
She said Qatar is a country that understands value of trade and investment. “Qatar government’s policy is to support SMEs and we stand for supporting SMEs. These enterprises represent around 90 percent of the businesses worldwide. They are the vehicles of growth,” she added.
“QDB gives special attention to SMEs and its funding to these enterprises has grown substantially in the past,” said Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa, CEO of QDB. “SMEs play a leading role in Qatar’s ongoing diversification efforts.”
“For Qatar, it is an honour to host WEDF, which has become a leading platform for policymakers to talk and do business. It is also recognition of Qatar as a bridge, linking continents together through trade,” said Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa.
“The forum underscores the importance of opening international markets before SMEs, which is a core interest of what we do at QDB,” he added.
The Peninsula
