Doha, October 25 (QNA) - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) officials have laid out initiatives to deepen economic and investment integration among member states, including aligning industrial strategies, expanding joint investments, developing data centers and artificial intelligence (AI), and establishing logistical corridors for exports to shore up intra-GCC trade and open new markets for Gulf businesses.

The proposals were propounded during a session titled "The Future of Investment in the Gulf Region" at the ninth World Investment Forum 2026 (WIF), hosted by the State of Qatar in partnership with United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) under the theme "Investing in the Future".

HE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the State of Qatar, Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sayed, emphasized that fostering economic and industrial integration among GCC nations in tandem with leveraging cutting-edge technologies offers substantial opportunities to advance joint projects and build a more diversified Gulf economy capable of competing globally.

Global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, underscored the criticality of countries of the region to pursue an all-hands-on-deck approach to ensure uninterrupted flow of commerce and merchandise and bolstering economic resilience, HE the Minister underlined, assuring that GCC nations abound with natural resources, raw materials, energy supplies, financial capacity, high-end infrastructure and skilled human capital.

HE Al Sayed further highlighted that what matters most is to move beyond traditional supply chains and establish integrated regional value chains by linking Gulf industries and allocating production stages among member states according to their respective competitive advantages. Such integration, he noted, could grow out of existing economic complementarities, bolster intra-GCC trade and increase value added.

HE the Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs pointed to the private sector's critical role in advancing joint ventures, particularly in manufacturing, data centers and hyperscale computing. Layering advanced technology and logistical connectivity onto deeper economic integration, he said, could unlock new avenues for growth across emerging sectors.

  For his part, HE Kuwait's Minister of State for Economic Affairs and Investment, Abdulaziz Nasser Abdulaziz Al Marzouq, called for developing data centers and hyperscale computing facilities, describing them as a strategic opportunity to strengthen GCC nations' foothold in the global digital economy.

The Gulf's abundant energy resources constitute a competitive advantage that could be leveraged to attract AI and advanced-technology projects. The region, he suggested, could grow into a global digital-infrastructure hub connecting East and West, as well as North and South.

 Investment in this sector could attract fresh capital, spur growth in technology-related industries and services, and further consolidate economic diversification across the Gulf, the Kuwaiti minister added.

HE Minister of Industry and Commerce of Bahrain Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, for his part, stressed that governments must move beyond merely promoting investment and proactively identify and develop opportunities grounded in actual market needs.

Bahrain's approach involves examining imports to identify products that could be manufactured domestically rather than sourced from abroad. HE Fakhro noted that the kingdom has identified 12 targeted industrial sectors to attract investment.

Bahrain is also preparing comprehensive investment-opportunity profiles detailing required capital, potential local partners and suitable project sites. These efforts include exploring participation by local investors and the sovereign wealth fund, as well as securing purchase agreements to establish future demand for the products, HE Fakhro pointed out.

The Bahraini minister called for deepening this model across the GCC through combined efforts to identify products that could be manufactured within the region and launch joint industrial projects.

He further stressed that expanding intra-GCC trade must go hand in hand with greater access to global markets. With GCC countries accounting for less than 1 percent of the world's population, free trade agreements are essential to broaden markets for Gulf products, he said.

HE Fakhro also underscored the importance of aligning industrial strategies among member states, identifying each country's competitive advantages, and building integrated production and supply chains.

HE Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade, Fahad Al Gergawi outlined his country's experience with Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs), which aim to reduce customs tariffs and facilitate access for products to international markets.

The UAE launched its agreement program in 2022, HE Al Gergawi noted, explaining that these partnerships not only open new markets for businesses but also bolster the country's appeal to investors seeking to capitalize on its strategic location, infrastructure and logistics networks.

Citing the UAE's CEPA with India, the Minister highlighted that large markets offer substantial opportunities for exporters and investors.

According to figures he presented during the session, the UAE's foreign trade reached approximately AED 3.8 trillion (USD 1.1 trillion), while trade with countries linked to the UAE through CEPAs totaled around AED 175 billion, growing by nearly 18 percent and accounting for 21 percent of non-oil trade.

He noted that these agreements support the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises, strengthen their competitiveness and open new avenues for developing supply chains and logistics services.

HE Al Gergawi added that investment opportunities in critical minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were estimated at around USD 2 billion, underscoring the consequential role of logistics investments in bolstering exports.

He stressed that fully capitalizing on these agreements requires addressing trade barriers, developing mechanisms for cooperation among countries, and turning market-access opportunities into concrete projects and actual exports.

Gulf officials participating in WIF also proposed establishing a regional investment and logistics corridor for exports, in collaboration with the GCC's General Secretariat, investment authorities in member states and UNCTAD.

  The initiative centers on identifying available production capacity across GCC member states, particularly in sectors such as food security, and linking it to transportation networks, logistics services and export gateways across the region. This would streamline the movement of goods and substantially bolster their access to international markets.

The officials noted that UNCTAD could contribute to implementing the initiative through capacity-building, digital transformation and the development of technical aspects related to products and trade procedures.

In essence, the session further underscored the importance of moving beyond broad investment pitches toward actionable initiatives that bring together natural resources, investment capacity, technology and logistics infrastructure. These initiatives could grow out of closer regional coordination and serve as a corollary of broader efforts to deepen economic integration.

The proposals included coordinating industrial strategies, expanding joint investments, developing data centers and AI, and establishing multi-country logistical corridors for exports to strengthen economic integration across the Gulf.

The discussions emphasized that achieving these goals requires cooperation among governments, the private sector, and regional and international institutions to identify priority opportunities and develop joint projects that support economic diversification, bolster the competitiveness of Gulf companies, and consolidate the region's position as a global investment and trade hub. (QNA)