Archive | 18th January 2012

Weekly Security Update for 18th January 2012

The number of attacks taking place in Iraq actually fell last week. Nonetheless, the associated number of casualties was still much higher than average. At least 100 people were killed and 261 injured in nationwide incidents, several of which targeted Shi’ah pilgrims gathering to commemorate Arba’een. Violence was concentrated in the cities of Mosul and […]

Surprise Oil Find in Iraq

Iraq's Oil Ministry announced on Wednesday that it has discovered a new oil field in the Missan [Maysan] province, and described it as the biggest achivement in 30 years. According to the report from AKnews, the Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi [Elaibi] told a press conference: "Iraqi Oil Company and the Southern Oil Company […]

Iraq – the Opportunity and the Problem

By Gavin Jones, Director of Iraq Business News, and Partner at consultancy firm Upper Quartile. This article was originally published on the Emerging Economics blog. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. It is very difficult with a market like Iraq to separate […]

Kurdistan-Turkey Economic Forum Started Wednesday

AKnews reports that the Kurdistan-Turkey economic forum kicked off on Wednesday in the Saad Abdulla Convention Hall in Erbil. Abdul-Khaleq Mohammed, press secretary for Kurdistan's Foreign Relations Office, told AKnews that the Turkish Trade Minister Zafer Çağlayan arrived in Erbil last night, at the head of a 175-strong delegation of 25 government officials and 150 […]

Former Innospec Director Guilty of Iraq Corruption

A British businessman has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to corrupt, including making corrupt payments to Iraqi officials. Dr David Turner (56), the former Innospec Limited Global Sales and Marketing Director (Tetraethyl Lead), appeared before His Honour Judge McCreath at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to corrupt. The […]

New Markets for Jordanian Produce in Iraq

A Jordanian delegation will visit Iraq next week to discuss the possibility of opening new markets for Jordanian fruits and vegetables in Iraq, according to a Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture statement. The Jordan Times reports that members of the delegation, which will be headed by the ministry’s secretary general, Radi Tarawneh, will meet with Iraqi […]

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Egyptian Companies Target Iraqi Electricity Market

Egypt's foreign minister, Karmel Amro [Mohamed Kamel Amr], will lead a delegation of power companies to Iraq to discuss the formation of an Iraqi-Egyptian company to rebuild Iraq's power grid. AKnews reports that the the delegation will visit Baghdad in the last week of January. Hassan Najem, representing a coalition of Egyptian power companies, said that […]

Int'l Group Prepares for 500MW Power Plant in Kirkuk

AKnews reports that up to 26 foreign companies are engaged in preparations to build a 500 MW power plant in Kirkuk. Kirkuk currently requires 880 MW, but can only provide 450 MW: 240 MW from the national grid and 225 MW through a contract with Kurdish investor. Rebwar Talabani, the Deputy head of Kirkuk Provincial […]

Average Incomes to Increase 15% in 2012

The Central Bank of Iraq expects the average annual income in 2012 will reach almost $6,000 (7 million IQD), up from $5,200 (6 million IQD) in the previous year, according to AKnews. The deputy governor of the CBI, Mudhar Mohammed Saleh, said the estimate was made based on the governments planned investment in oil and […]

Iraq to Increase Wheat Output by 74%

Iraq plans to increase domestic wheat production by about 74 percent to 3 million metric tons by 2015, according to Saleh Hussein Jabur [Jabr], director general of state- owned Mesopotamia Seed Company. Bloomberg reports that the government intends to triple the annual quantity of wheat seed that it buys from local farmers to 180,000 tons […]

70% Jump in US Companies Considering Iraq

The Iraqi Embassy in Washington DC dealt with nearly 5,000 applications from American companies hoping to do business in Iraq last year, a 70% jump from 2010, according to an article from Chicago Business. Among the companies mentioned are the Schaumburg, Illinois-based manufacturer Quality Float Works Inc., which mades devices to control liquid flows in […]

NIC Releases Land for Investment

Iraq's National Investment Commission (NIC) has released a 3,100-donum (775 hectare) site for development. The Al-Bathaa land starts north of the Euphrates river and ends south of the old Ur railway line; to the west the land is adjacent to the Bathaa district while close to the center of Thi Qar Province on the east. […]