Driving Risk, Reaping Rewards: G8 Investment Conference
By Madeleine White, capacity building and communications specialist. Driving Risk, Reaping Rewards: Perspectives from the G8 Deauville Partnership Investment Conference It’s nearly a year since I wrote my first blog. Having spent time at the World Bank in Washington and linking that to the great experiences I had had when I visited Kurdistan I felt compelled […]
New $357bn National Development Plan
On Monday, September 16, the Ministry of Planning launched Iraq’s second National Development Plan (NDP) 2013-2017 at Baghdad’s Al-Rasheed Hotel. The Ministry of Planning (MOP) played a key role in producing the new NDP, with support from other Government of Iraq institutions and line ministries. The launch for the NDP was hosted by Minister of […]
Reef Subsea Wins Cable Deal
Reef Subsea Dredging and Excavation (D&E) has secured a number of substantial contracts in the Middle-East and Asia Pacific as the company continues to grow its global footprint. The Middle-East contracts will involve two teams from the company’s UK workforce managing subsea excavation work in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The work in the Al Khafji […]
Youth Strike Balance Between Conservatism, Modernity
By Wassim Bassem for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The youth in Iraq are taking advantage of the summer months to wear the clothes they like and flaunt their flexibility in changing hairdos and giving themselves makeovers. In light of […]
Scottish Firm Wins West Qurna Contract
By John Lee. Energy-focused health and safety specialist Cresent has become the largest Control of Work (CoW) provider in Iraq after winning a contract worth $1.7 million with Russian oil company, LUKOIL Mid-East Ltd. The contract will involve Aberdeen-based Cresent delivering an electronic version of its flagship CoW system WorkSafe® across the second phase of […]
Iran Looks to Iraq for Syria Support
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 Sept. 8 visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to Iraq caught the media's attention, but that of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, in […]
Iraqi Youth – Key Statistics And Resources
A range of studies and surveys reveal that Iraqi youth face many challenges. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), together with the Government of Iraq, conducted a National Youth Survey in 2009 that provided the first comprehensive insight into the reality of being a young person in today’s Iraq. The United Nations, the Central Organization […]
L-3 Link Wins F-16 Training Contract
By John Lee. L-3 Link, a division of L-3 Communications, announced today that it has been awarded a contract modification from the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center to build the Iraqi Air Force two F-16 Block 52 Weapon Tactics Trainers (WTTs). According to a report from Defense World, this contract modification follows L-3 Link’s […]
Record Wheat Crop, but Imports Still Needed
By John Schnittker, Chief Economist at Schnittker Associates, and former Ministry Advisor at the US Embassy in Baghdad. Iraq’s first tender to purchase wheat on the international market since mid-May 2013 reflects that despite a record wheat crop Iraq remains a major importer of wheat and flour products. Iraq’s 2013 wheat crop of nearly 4.0 […]
Occidental Offers Stake in Mideast Unit
Occidental Petroleum has reportedly begun trying to sell a minority stake in its Middle East unit for as much as $8 billion. According to a report from Bloomberg, Chief Executive Officer Stephen Chazen (pictured) has held talks with sovereign wealth funds and possible strategic partners for a 40 percent stake in the Mideast business, whose […]
Oil Output Reduced by Leak
By John Lee. A pipeline leak has restricted oil flow to Iraq's southern export terminals, according to Reuters. A rate of 1.58 million barrels per day was being achieved on Tuesday, compared to an export rate of 2.3 million bpd in August. Output from Rumaila has been cut due to the leak, while two berths […]
Work Starts on Iraq's 'Biggest Industrial City'
By John Lee. The governor of Kirkuk, Najm al-Din Kareem, has laid the cornerstone of what is claimed to be the biggest industrial city in Iraq. The $250-million project is scheduled to be completed within two years. (Source: Aswat al-Iraq)