Holding one of the largest oil and gas reserves in the world, Qatar has quickly transformed itself into a developed economy and has left the rest of Middle East behind. But the drawback of this single source economic development has meant that Qatar’s revenue (around 83%) is totally dependent on the international prices of oil and gas. Taking this into consideration the government has pushed for heavy investment in several key sectors where it has been totally reliant on exports. Qatar is one of the few MENA countries which have shown an active interest in promoting the growth of investment.

 As an investment destination, Qatar has a few parallels with the government extending SOPS to any company investing in the priority sectors.   A few incentives have been listed below:

• Key benefits that include low electricity, water and gas consumption charges.
• Lands allocated for Industrial purposes that can be leased for nominal prices (starting at one Qatari Riyal).
• Zero taxes on importing heavy machines, equipments, spare parts and raw materials
• Zero taxes on exports, individuals, quantitative imports with no restrictions on foreign currency exchange and overseas profit transfer.
• Flexible immigration and residence laws for highly skilled and unskilled workforce.
• Easy access to global markets via air and marine cargo networks that connect Qatar to the rest of the world.
• Up to 25% ownership of Qatari shareholding companies that are publicly listed in Qatar Exchange.  

Each worker in Qatar’s non-oil and gas economy produced less output in 2012 than in 2006. At an aggregate level, measured output per head in that part of the economy declined at an annual average rate of 4%. This hints that Qatar could be operating below its potential. Closing the gap to that potential could provide a future boost to growth in the non-oil and gas economy.  Certain sectors in Qatari economy need massive investment to reduce the reliance of hydro-carbon based revenues. Sectors like agriculture, healthcare cosmetics and fitness, water, manufacturing, chemicals and ICT present a host of investment opportunities. This report on the outlook for lucrative investment areas reviews the potential future returns, technological advancements, regulations and market responses so as to provide a detailed but clear perspective on the potential implications for the growth prospects of these sectors for the next five years using past historical data and analysis. 

Key questions that will be answered:

• What are the virgin investments in Qatar?
• What kind of growth can these sectors see in the next five years?
• With investments pouring in how will the Qatari stock market react and which companies stand to gain the most?
• Is there a viable market for these goods and services?
• Do any kinds of entry barriers exist?
• How much can one invest in these sectors?
• Financial analysis of expected returns?
• Financial analysis and forecasts in these sectors?
• What are the regulations in place?
• What kinds of support in terms of SOPs are present in these sectors?

Who will benefit from this report?