Tag Archives | privatization

Video: The Privatization of Iraqi State-owned Enterprises

The Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) presented a webinar yesterday discussing a road map for the privatisation of the 176 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Iraq. Discussions were based on the recently-published IBBC paper, The Privatization of Iraqi State-owned Enterprises, the lead author of which was Professor Frank R. Gunter, of Lehigh University. The paper can […]

KRG to Prioritise Private Enterprise

By Padraig O'Hannelly. A major conference has heard that Iraqi Kurdistan will prioritise a shift towards private enterprise and a more efficient public sector. In his keynote speech to CWC/GFEn's Kurdistan Iraq Economic Forum (KIEF) conference, held online, Kurdistan's Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani (pictured), said: "We must create an environment to let the private sector […]

Investment Opportunity at State Glass Company

By John Lee. The State Company for Glass & Refractories Industry (SCG&R), one of the Ministry of Industry and Minerals (MIM) companies, has announced an following investment opportunity at the following factories: Rehabilitation & operation of Ceramic Wall Tiles Factory Rehabilitation & operation of Ceramic Floor Tiles Factory Rehabilitation & operation of Ceramic Sanitary Ware […]

Efforts to Privatize Electricity face Resistance

By Salam Zidane for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. In a meeting held Feb. 21, Najaf’s provincial council followed in the footsteps of Dhi Qar, Muthanna, Wasit and Diwaniyah and voted against the privatization of the electricity sector in […]

Iraq to Privatise Govt's Two Largest Banks

Shafaaq News reports that the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has announced its intention to privatize the two largest banks in the country. It quotes CBI Governor Ali al-Alaq as saying: "The bank's management is moving to privatize al-Rafidain and al-Rasheed Banks or participate with the private sector ... the move is being coordinated with […]

The Need for Private Industry

As reported this morning on Iraq Business News, a former Minister for Planning has spoken out about the need to diversify the Iraqi economy away from its current dependence on oil and gas. Mahdi Al-Hafez told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iraq must adopt "a policy of diversifying the economy and developing other productive sectors such as […]

Privatisation Opportunities to Continue in Iraq

One striking characteristic of business in Iraq is the extent of state-ownership of enterprise and assets. Mudher Kasim, a senior advisor to Iraq's Central Bank, claimed that “the problem in Iraq is that 90 percent of the wealth of the nation is in the hands of the government. So centralism always dominates the mindset everywhere”. […]