French Grain Lobby Targets Iraq
Reuters reports that France's grain export lobby has invited an Iraqi delegation to visit the country as it tries to break into what has become one of the world's major wheat import markets. The move followed the signing last year of a letter of intent between France Export Cereales and Iraq's grain board on establishing […]
Shell Boss Expects Iraqi Gas Deal 'Soon'
Oil giant Shell hopes its plan to use the huge amount of associated gas expected to come from Iraq's oil output growth over the next decade will be approved soon, the company's chief executive Peter Voser said on Tuesday According to the report from Reuters, he did not clarify what he meant by 'soon'. "We […]
France Telecom, Agility, Take 44% of Korek
France Telecom-Orange and its partner Agility, a leading logistics company, have announced a binding agreement on Monday with the shareholders of Korek Telecom to acquire a 44% stake in the Iraqi mobile operator. France Telecom-Orange will contribute its marketing, commercial and technical expertise to reinforce Korek Telecom's leading position in the Kurdistan region of Iraq […]
Iraq to Raise Oil Exports to Compensate for Sabotage
Iraq’s Oil Ministry has completed repairs to the damaged oil pipeline carrying crude from north Iraq’s Kirkuk fields through Turkey, and pumping resumed after mid-night on Tuesday morning, the Oil Ministry’s official spokesman has confirmed. “The Oil Ministry has completed repairs in the damaged Iraqi-Turkish oil pipeline, exporting crude oil to the Turkish Ceyhan terminal […]
Cordiant Provides $50m Funding for Zain Iraq
Cordiant Capital, the Montreal based fund manager that specialises in loans to emerging markets, has committed $50 million to fund the expansion of Iraq’s mobile phone network. Mobile penetration in Iraq is estimated at just 77%, lagging far behind most of its neighbouring countries where penetration rates are virtually 100%. The loan is part of […]
UN Signs 2011-14 Programme Action Plans with Iraqi Govt
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have signed their Country Programme Action Plans for their respective 2011-2014 Programmes of Cooperation with the Government of Iraq. The signings endorse the key results the agencies will deliver over the next four years in support of the […]
Tamimi’s Challenge and Why It Will Go Nowhere
The following article was published on Monday by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford and currently based at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq […]
Sonangol to Start Work on Ninewa Oilfields
Angolan oil company Sonangol started work on Thursday at the Najma [Najmah] and Qaiyara [Qaiyarah] oil fields in Ninewa, and it will start to dig wells in April, according to a report from Aswat al-Iraq. In the second licensing round in 2009, Sonangol was the only company to submit bids for these fields. In both […]
Iraq's Per Capita Income to Double by 2015
An economist from the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has said that per capita income in the country is projected to more than double within the next four years as a result of a sharp increase in Iraq’s oil output and higher market prices for oil, according to a report from RFE/RL’s Radio Free Iraq […]
Iraq to Import 400k Tons of Grain
Iraq has decided to import 400,000 tons of American and Australian wheat, according to a statement by the Director-General of the General Company for Grain Trade on Saturday. “Trade Minister Kheirullah Hassan has approved a deal to purchase 400,000 tons of wheat, 300,000 tons of it from America and 100,000 tons from Australia,” Muthanna Abdul-Jabbar […]
$40m Renovation of Kurdistan Hydroelectric Dams
Two hydro-electric plants in Sulaimaniya province of Iraqi Kurdistan are being renovated at a cost of $40 million [48 billion Iraqi dinars], according to a report from AKnews. Sirwan Mohammed Mahmoud, the media and relations director at Sulaimaniya electricity office, told the agency that the budget to renovate Darbanikhan (pictured) and Dokan dams comes from […]
Iraqi Govt Pumps $400m into Agriculture
The Iraqi Agriculture Minister has said that 470 billion Iraqi Dinars ($400 million) has been allocated to his ministry this year to develop the country’s agricultural sector, according to a report from AKnews. Izzeddine al-Dawla [Izzuldin al-Doula] said that the implementation of an irrigation project using the latest techniques and covering an area of more […]