Archive | 2024

Malaysian Firm Wins Consultancy Contract for Baghdad Metro

By John Lee. Malaysia's HSS Engineering Berhad (HEB) has signed a contract with the Mayoralty of Baghdad for the provision of Project Management Consultancy and Supervision Services for the Baghdad Metro Project. The contract is due to start this month, with a estimated completion date of May 2029. Estimated fees are almost $316 million. Statement […]

Iraqi PM Announces Development Projects for Adhamiya

By John Lee. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani announced the launch of several projects aimed at developing the city of Adhamiya in Baghdad, during his visit on Saturday. These projects span various sectors, including traffic management, urban services, electricity, education, healthcare, and heritage conservation. Key initiatives include: Traffic Alleviation: Construction of a new bridge connecting […]

Iraq Signs Seismic Survey Contract for Naft Khana Oil Block

By John Lee. Iraq's Oil Ministry has signed a contract with China's Geo-Jade Petroleum for a 2D and 3D seismic survey of the Naft Khana oil block in Diyala Province. According to a statement from the Ministry, the signing ceremony took place at the Ministry's headquarters on Sunday. The Ministry's Extraction Affairs Deputy, Bassem Mohammed […]

The Politics of Real Estate in the Kurdish Region of Iraq

By Renwar Najm for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Politics of Real Estate in the Kurdish Region of Iraq With ruling parties, companies, and mainstream media aligned against them, activists and environmentalists face […]

Iraq is World's Third Biggest Flarer of Gas

By John Lee. Iraq has been named as the world's third biggest flarer of gas in 2023. According to the World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Tracker, the worst offender was Russia, followed by Iran, with Iraq in third place. The USA was in fourth place, followed by Venezuela and Algeria. The full report can be […]

Desalination Project Procurement Exemptions Approved

By John Lee. To meet the requirements of the strategic Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP), the Ministerial Council for Energy has approved recommendation (24054 T) for 2024, as follows: Exemption of the CSSP and its consultancy tender with the Austrian firm ILF Consulting from the contracting methods stipulated in the Government Contracting Execution Instructions (2 […]

HRW: "Unlawful" Deportations of Syrians from Iraq

From Human Rights Watch (HRW). Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq: Employment Rights for People with Disabilities Iraqi authorities in Baghdad and Erbil have arbitrarily detained and deported Syrians to Damascus and to parts of northeast Syria under the control of Kurdish-led forces, […]

The Failure of Opposition Parties in Iraqi Kurdistan

By Winthrop Rodgers for The Middle East Institute. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. No real alternative: The failure of opposition parties in Iraq's Kurdistan Region Politics in Iraq's Kurdistan Region is centered on the ruling duopoly of the Kurdistan Democratic Party […]

Dinar Explainer 1: Why Iraq has Two Exchange Rates

By John Lee. On a recent webinar organised by the Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC), Professor Frank Gunter of Lehigh University explained the causes and effects of Iraq's dual exchange rate. The three reasons why Iraq has two exchange rates are: Excessive Demand for US Dollars Internationally: There is a high demand for US dollars […]

Iraq Oil Ministry Withholds More Data on Oil Exports

By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Oil has announced finalised oil export volumes for May, but has again not disclosed the value of oil exports for the month. This follows an increasing trend of delayed or missing oil export data from the Ministry. While the statement references the Ministry's "belief in informing the people about […]