How to Brand Your Business in Iraq
By Lisa Knight, Creative Director & Founder of The Brand Foundation. Since 2007 Iraq has witnessed a number of multinationals setting up regional operations – GE, Daimler Benz, Shell, and global finance and banking institutions such as J. P Morgan Chase and Citibank publicly proclaiming an interest in the Iraqi financial sector, its only a […]
KRG to Appoints Representative to Austria
The Kurdistan Region Government (KRG) has announced that it is to open a representative office in Austria. A KRG official said that the Prime Minister, Dr. Barham Saleh, signed an official document to assign Mustafa R. Koran as the representative in the office. He added that steps will continue to open more offices in other […]
Iraqi Cabinet Approves 2011 Budget
The Iraqi cabinet has approved a draft 2011 budget on Tuesday that envisages a deficit of 14 trillion dinars ($11.99 billion), down from an expected deficit of $19.6 billion for this year, according to a report from Reuters. The budget, which still needs parliamentary approval, is based on an oil price of $73 a barrel, […]
Iraqi Census Delayed Yet Again
Iraq has once again postponed its first census in more than 20 years because of Kurdish-Arab wrangling over disputed areas in the north, Deputy Planning Minister Mehdi al-Alak told AFP on Tuesday. The delay to the census, which had been due to be held on December 5, is the latest in a string of deferrals […]
Kuwaiti Cement Factory and Appartments for Muthanna
A Kuwaiti company received two investment licenses in Muthanna, according to a media source at the Muthanna Investment Commission, quoted by Aswat al-Iraq. “Kuwait’s al-Mahamed company received two investment licenses to implement a residential compound, which contains 2,000 apartments, in addition to the establishment of a cement factory in the Badiya al-Samawa region,” Ali Hanoun […]
120 Participants At GetEnergy Conference in Basra
The recent two-day skills development event run by GetEnergy in Basra a few weeks ago attracted 120 participants from 20 international companies. Nihad Moosa, the Director General of Development and Training at Iraq's Ministry of Oil, delivered the opening speech announcing the Ministry's policies in the areas training and learning. Workshops conducted over the following […]
Spain's Repsol Eyes Investments in Iraqi Kurdistan
According to a report from Reuters, Spain's Repsol is the latest large international oil company (IOC) to consider potential investments in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. Repsol's move, which risks it being blacklisted from investment in the rest of Iraq, follows recent investments in Kurdistan by U.S.-based Marathon Oil and Murphy Oil. Repsol has […]
Weatherford Completes 20 Wells; 70 More Under Construction
American oil-services company Weatherford International announced on Monday that it has completed the drilling of 20 oil wells in southern Iraq, at oilfields including Rumaila and Bazergan. Work is continuing at another 70 wells. The company's Director, Ramzi al-Harithy, told Aswat al-Iraq news agency during the recent Oil & Gas Exhibition in Basra that his […]
Private Funding Needed to Build 2.5m Homes
Iraq’s housing fund is falling short of its goals and will struggle to raise fresh capital after spending more than two-thirds of its budget, its director said in an interview with Bloomberg. The fund, which started in 2005 with 300 billion Iraqi dinars ($257 million), has spent 210 billion dinars building 14,000 homes in Iraq, […]
Emirates to Launch Basra Route
Basra will be Emirates' first Iraqi destination since the airline postponed the launch of flights to Baghdad earlier this year citing "operational reasons", according to Reuters. "The city's recent growth has paved the way for numerous multinational companies and industries to invest in infrastructure and we have seen strong potential from a number of our […]
Maliki Orders Clampdown on Border Corruption
An adviser in the Iraqi government has said that the Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has instructed the Interior Ministry to combat corruption at border crossing points. Ahmed al-Shihani told AKnews that the Prime Minister called for action to be taken following official reports about rising corruption at Iraq’s border crossings -- particularly the borders with […]
Kurdish Oil Minister Sees Exports Early 2011
The Minister for Natural Resources in the Kurdistan Regional Government, Ashti Hawrami, told Reuters that he expected talks in Baghdad on the formation of a new government to lead to an imminent breakthrough on the issue of oil exports from Kurdistan. “I am confident that the leadership between Kurdistan and Baghdad will address these issues […]