The Third National Development Strategy (NDS3) defines transformative initiatives and reforms designed to achieve the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030. It seeks to sustainably develop the country’s economy to remain competitive amidst rapidly changing global landscape. The ‘1000 Opportunities’ initiative by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has currently received over 1,300 applications. This service allows local investors to access investment opportunities offered by major foreign and local companies operating in Qatar and offers small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) the opportunity to develop their products and services in the Qatari market.
The number of applications submitted to benefit from the initiative has reached 1,328 showing an addition of 124 applicants and representing a surge of 11 percent when compared with applications received in July of this year. The initiative launched by MoCI in 2022 registered 346 applicants in August 2022 and it increased to 713 by December of the same year. It reached 1,044 applications by March 2024 and stood at 1,204 in July of this year.
Meanwhile, the Business Map portal of the Ministry revealed that the total number of commercial establishments currently reached 208,251 whereas in July of the same year 183,944 organisations were registered showing a rise of 13 percent. Out of total, 14,107 establishments were registered in 2023 while 7,121 in the last six months and 3,426 during the last three months. The portal showed the top four common activities in the organisations which are trading in food, building materials trade, construction and general contracting, and general cleaning of buildings.
It also offers statistics on the number of commercial licenses registered in each municipality, new and signed-off commercial licenses, and the latest commercial establishments registered in Qatar.
Recently, MoCI launched updated version of the Single Window Online Platform (sw.gov.qa) as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance digital transformation, improve services offered to investors, and increase efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery.
The updated platform features a new and interactive interface that offers users a modern and friendly interface, allowing them to navigate various services at the push of a button. In August 2024, MoCI in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior launched the automatic renewal service for establishment registration via the Single Window platform. This service allows companies to obtain the updated establishment registration upon renewing the company’s license and commercial registration.
The Ministry also announced the implementation of Ministerial Decision No. 60, 2024 to reduce fees by more than 90% for some commercial services and business activities in July of this year.
