Washington, DC – On June 29th, 2022, the US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC) hosted a
Business Lunch on the sidelines of the SelectUSA Investment Summit 2022. The event featured
Fahad Ali Al-Kuwari, the Senior Manager of Investor Relations at the Investment Promotion
Agency of Qatar (IPA Qatar).
The Business Lunch was moderated by Mohammed Barakat, Managing Director and Treasurer
of the Board of Directors of USQBC, and was attended by Scott Taylor, President of USQBC;
Fahad Al-Dosari, Qatar’s Commercial Attaché to the United States; USQBC members and
partners; government representatives from both the US and Qatar; and the wider business
community.
The following officials were in attendance of the event:
● Fahad Ali Al-Kuwari, Senior Manager of Investor Relations, Investment Promotion
Agency of Qatar (IPA Qatar)
● Nasser Ali Al-Kaabi, Investor Relations Officer, Investment Promotion Agency of Qatar
(IPA Qatar)
● Fahad Al-Dosari, Qatar’s Commercial Attaché to the United States
● Scott Taylor, President, USQBC
● Mohammed Barakat, Managing Director and Treasurer of the Board of Directors,
USQBC
“American investors will find Qatar to be a very attractive market,” said Fahad Ali Al-Kuwari, the
Senior Manager of Investor Relations at the Investment Promotion Agency of Qatar (IPA Qatar).
“Not only does the country offer a wealth of incentives for investment, but it’s also one of the
best places in the world to find workforce talent. In fact, in 2021 the World Economic Forum
ranked Qatar 3rd globally in ease of finding skilled employees.”
“Qatar has put tremendous emphasis on developing a sustainable investment ecosystem,” said
Nasser Ali Al-Kaabi, Investor Relations Officer at the Investment Promotion Agency of Qatar
(IPA Qatar). “The country has put a large emphasis on developing top-notch infrastructure and
incentives to ensure foreign investors have what they need to take advantage of the strong
domestic market and wider region as well.”
“The State of Qatar represents one of the world’s most attractive investment destinations,” said
Fahad Al-Dosari, Qatar’s Commercial Attaché to the United States. “American companies are
global leaders in a wide variety of fields including technology, smart cities, sports, media &
entertainment, among many others, and we look forward to future discussions on how to
expand their exports to Qatar or establish themselves in Qatar as a gateway to the wider region.”
“Qatar’s investment ecosystem continues to get even more attractive for American companies,”
said Scott Taylor, President of USQBC. “The country’s many pro-business reforms, incentives,
and infrastructure has created a remarkable environment for US companies to establish
themselves in the country not only to tap the domestic market, but to access the entire region
as well.”
“The United States and Qatar already share a thriving commercial and investment partnership,”
said Mohammed Barakat, the Managing Director and Treasurer of the Board of Directors at the
US-Qatar Business Council. “This visit underscores the importance of building upon this success
and forging new business & investment ties across a wide variety of industries.”
Invest Qatar is the national brand that showcases Qatar as an exceptional investment
destination, connecting international investors to lucrative business opportunities that support
their long-term success, while bringing progress to the country’s economic development and
diversification goals across sectors and geographies.
Just recently on the sidelines of the Qatar Economic Forum 2022, the Investment Promotion
Agency Qatar (IPA Qatar) signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Green
Boom, a US-based manufacturer of bio-degradable absorbents, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The MOUs will enable these leading international companies to deepen their presence in Qatar
and create over 200 new jobs and attract several significant investment, development, and
training opportunities.
The bilateral business ties between the United States and Qatar continue to solidify with the
total economic relationship between them exceeding $200 billion as of 2019. The US is Qatar’s
largest foreign direct investor with a total of $110.6 billion in FDI and is the largest single source
of exports to Qatar at $6.5 billion in goods in 2019. In the past five years, Qatar has imported
over $23 billion from the US, and over 850 US companies now operate in Qatar.
Qatar is also an increasingly large investor in the United States having pledged over $45 billion
in investment over the coming years with key investments already having been made across
multiple sectors including oil and gas, financial technology, real estate, food production, and
hospitality, among others.