Qatar Has ‘Unique’ FDI Offering; Private Sector at Heart of Development Strategies: NPC Secretary-General

Qatar offers "unique" foreign direct investment (FDI) avenues as part of its strategy to be a competitive and growing economy, the heart of which is the private sector, according to a top official of the National Planning Council (NPC).

"Within our plans, startups and entrepreneurs are at the heart of it. One of the main seven outcomes is creating a competitive growing economy. 

At the heart of that is the private sector, and at the heart of the private sector creation is creating the right ecosystem to support startups and SMEs or small and medium enterprises," NPC secretary-general Dr Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak al-Khalifa told the Web Summit 2025, which concluded on Wednesday.

Highlighting that the country witnessed development in stages; he said the first phase saw the creation of national champions like QNB, Ooredoo and Qatar Airways; and then it focused more on creating the right infrastructure, gearing towards the World Cup, which in itself was a major milestone within a bigger plans of Qatar National Vision 2030.

"Qatar is the first Gulf country to come out with national vision and now, we are reaping the benefits, investing more, and creating the right atmosphere," said al-Khalifa, who was earlier the chief executive officer of Qatar Development Bank (QDB).

Stressing the need for a dynamic approach to development strategies, he said the world is changing by the minute and "we do understand these changes and we are agile. We adopt and change. But we ensure that we deliver on our promises."

Highlighting that Qatar is set on a glorious path; he said the country's national development strategies bring the team together to ensure that it is not a bureaucratic state, rather help companies to set up and grow in Doha and reach global potential.

"It is part of our DNA to unlock potential for entrepreneurs and startup," he said, adding Qatar has its own unique offering when it comes to foreign direct investment because of its competitive advantages, robust infrastructure, hassle-free environment that ensures ease-of-doing business, and right talent.

He said the multi-stakeholders such as Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council (QRDI), QDB, Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), Qatar Free Zones and Invest Qatar join hands together under Government Communications Office (GCO) to help companies exist and flourish from Qatar.

A recent report from QDB had said Qatar’s VC (venture capital) funding reported a remarkable 135% year-on-year rise to an all-time high of QR115mn in 2024, defying 19% and 29% decline globally and % in the Middle East and North Africa region respectively.

Fintech retained dominance as most transacted industry, securing 29% of Qatar’s deals in 2024, up from 12% in 2023, it said, the share of fintech to total funding in Qatar improved from 14% in 2023 to 41% in 2024.