US and Iraq Collaborate to Improve Service Delivery
By John Lee. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Mission Director Alonzo Wind joined the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers Secretariat, Dr. Ali Al-Allaq, in opening the Third National Conference on Excellence in Services at the Sheraton Hotel in Baghdad on March 24. The two-day conference provided an opportunity to recognize […]
Health Ministry: Iraq Needs 56,000 Physicians
By John Lee. Iraq's Health Ministry has announced the need for 56,000 more doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health workers in Iraq in order to reach a target ratio of 10 physicians per 10,000 of the population, according to Aswat al-Iraq. For that target to be reached in the next four years, the Ministry is coordinating […]
Metinvest to Supply Large Diameter Pipes
By John Lee. Metinvest Group received permission to supply large diameter pipes fabricated from internally produced pipe-making plate for oil and gas pipelines in Iraq. The Oil Ministry of Iraq included Metinvest Group into its list of certified suppliers of large diameter pipes manufactured from internally produced pipe-making plate. The move followed Azovstal Iron and […]
First of 10 New Fast Trains Ready for Shipment
By John Lee. China's Dongfang Electric Corp. has completed the first of 10 high speed, desert modified diesel trains at a ceremony attended by Iraq's ambassador to China, Railway Gazette reports. The trains were ordered in 2012, a year after Iraq announced plans for a Basra to Baghdad high speed rail route, an initiative that does not […]
Iraq Calls For Foreign Investment For New Housing
By John Lee. Iraq's housing minister Mohammed al-Darraji says that the country is planning to spend $5bn on new housing units in the next 3 years, but that the required 2.5 million new units will not be complete on time to meet demand, Rebuilding Iraq reports. Currently there will only be 130,000 new units by next year, […]
Shahristani Welcomes Barzani's 'Good Will' Offer
By John Lee. Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussein al-Shahristani (pictured) has welcomed Nechirvan Barzani's offer of sending 100,000 bpd of oil through the State Oil Marketing Company. According to Aswat al-Iraq, Barzani's widely reported "good will" gesture was also welcomed by former oil minister Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum who was positive about the offer. Until the […]
AB Maritime Plan Basra-Dubai Ferry Route
By John Lee. Arab Bridge Maritime, the joint venture established by the governments of Iraq, Jordan and Egypt in 1985, is planning a two ferry service between Basra and Dubai. The venture will initially cost $2 million per year based on the hiring cost of the ferries, and if successful the ferries will be purchased, […]
Disqualified Candidates Spark Controversy in Iraq
By Mushreq Abbas for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The newly issued judicial decisions disqualifying election candidates in Iraq have reopened the debate on the standards of justice and equal opportunity for candidates. This time the controversy was accompanied by a debate on the loose mechanisms […]
KRG Offers 100,000 bpd Through SOMO
By John Lee. Kurdish Regional Government PM Nechirvan Barzani (pictured) has offered to send 100,000 bpd of oil from the Kurdish region through the State Oil Marketing Company, Reuters reports. The move is designed to partially appease Baghdad in the on going and tortuous dispute over oil revenues and exports to Turkey. Currently over 1 million […]
US Delivers Critical Arms to Iraq
The United States continues to accelerate delivery of weapons and ammunition to Iraq consistent with our Strategic Framework Agreement and long-term security partnership. These deliveries are made in response to specific Iraqi requests and pursuant to a holistic counter-terrorism policy that incorporates political, economic, and security measures. On the security side, it is essential that […]
Basra’s Mighty Petro-Dollar
This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Basra’s Mighty Petro-Dollar: But Does the Province Have Anything to Show for it? Basra is one of the country’s wealthiest provinces in terms of oil it produces; its budget for 2014 […]
UK Export Finance to Help Kurdistan Development
A delegation from the UK Export Finance Department visited the Kurdistan Department of Foreign Relations to discuss opportunities for building further relations with Kurdistan in various fields of infrastructure and investment. The UK delegation was led by Steve Dodgson, the Business Group Director of UK Export Finance and included the British Consul General, Hugh Evans […]