Doha, September 24 (QNA) - Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and Qatar Chamber reviewed mechanisms to support industrialists and exporters, as well as ways to enhance the competitiveness of national products. They also discussed the challenges facing the industrial sector and exporting companies.
This took place during a periodic meeting between the two sides, attended by a number of industrialists, exporters, and representatives of Qatari industrial companies. Participants raised several challenges they face, most notably the high cost of raw materials and logistics.
Chairman of Qatar Chamber, HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani.
In his opening remarks, HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim said that the meeting comes at a critical and challenging time that requires greater coordination among all relevant stakeholders. He praised QDB's vital role in supporting the Qatari economy through financing, supporting innovation and entrepreneurs, developing the business environment, and enabling national factories and enterprises to expand their operations and enhance their competitiveness in international markets.
"Qatar Chamber remains committed to addressing the challenges facing factories, industrial companies and exporters by finding practical, swift and sustainable solutions," Sheikh Khalifa said.
He stressed the importance of cooperation with the Bank to turn these challenges into opportunities for growth and expansion, enhance the efficiency of national companies, promote value-added industries, support the industrial sector, expand the industrial export base, access regional and international markets, and facilitate the establishment of new projects.
For his part, CEO of Qatar Development Bank Abdulrahman bin Hisham Al Suwaidi, said that the meeting aligns with QDB's commitment to identifying the needs of private-sector companies and gathering their views in light of the current challenges. He noted that this enables the Bank to capture market realities, anticipate challenges, and design proactive, data-driven interventions to address any potential difficulties that companies may face, while also capitalising on emerging market opportunities.
Al Suwaidi added: "At QDB, in partnership with Qatar Chamber and national stakeholders, we are committed to identifying the challenges facing the private sector and working to develop appropriate solutions. During the year, we launched an integrated package of services in response to the current circumstances through a dedicated operations room. These measures aim to support supply chains and finance raw material inventories for factories, in addition to providing a financial grant to support the import of products and logistical requirements for national factories.
"Furthermore, our support package includes working capital support programmes for industrial and service sectors, specialised advisory services, and the proactive rescheduling of credit facilities granted to companies, to provide the liquidity needed to grow businesses and enhance productivity."
Al Suwaidi noted that the value of support provided since the onset of regional tensions has exceeded QAR 1.1 billion, representing a 160 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025. Nearly half of this support was delivered through Qatar Development Bank's Operations Room programmes.
He also noted that the Bank had conducted an in-depth analysis of the export sectors, which showed the positive performance of exporters working with Qatar Exports, a Qatar Development Bank entity. Despite the challenges, exporters succeeded in opening new markets and rapidly reshaping their export routes.
Al Suwaidi also stressed the importance of the private sector being aware of and making use of the services provided by the Bank, including financing and export insurance, as well as promoting these services through participation in international exhibitions and trade missions. He also highlighted the importance of capacity-building through the Export Accelerator and specialised workshops to enable national factories and companies to access targeted markets.
In turn, Qatar Chamber Board Member and Chairman of the Industry Committee, Abdulrahman Abdullah Al Ansari said that the Chamber recognises the scale of the challenges facing the private sector and has played a significant role in addressing obstacles facing companies and factories.
He stressed the importance of supporting exports, particularly given the high quality and strong competitiveness of Qatari products. (QNA)