By Matthew Gayle. The Iraqi government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Romanian railcar producer Astra to establish a joint railway company based in Iraq. According to Al-Shorfa, the Iraqi-Romanian company, which will specialize in producing trains, will be based in al-Samawa, southern Iraq. The company will also focus on rehabilitating the train […]
By Mustafa Habib. 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. Despite billions in oil income, Iraq says it cannot afford to build the infrastructure citizens badly need. A draft law allows Iraq to borrow money to […]
Iraq's Ministry of Construction and Housing is looking at ways to privatise their PMCM (Project and Contract Management) by bringing in an international consulting form to supervise the extensive construction works that are running and planned over the next 24 months. “We want to look at getting a company to contract in Project Management staff […]
Iraq's Minister for Housing and Construction, Mohammed Sahib al-Darraji, spoke to Gavin Jones for Iraq Business News: The Ministry of Housing and Construction is responsible for building over 2 million houses between now and 2015, as well as several thousand kilometres of highway and several dozen schools, hospitals and various other infrastructure projects; it's a […]
Sami al Araji, chairman of Iraq's National Investment Commission (NIC), has told a business audience in New Delhi that his country needs $500-$700 billion in investment to rebuild its infrastructure. Araji compared the opportunities in Iraq to "Germany after the Second World War", adding, "our message to the world is that we are open for […]
Iraq's transport minister, Hadi al-Ameri [al-Amari] (pictured), has appealed to foreign firms to help restore his country's dilapidated infrastructure by rebuilding airports and constructing a European-style rail network, according to a report from AFP. Addressing nearly 50 companies in Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone, he said that as Iraq's oil income rises in the coming years there […]
AKnews reports that the Iraqi government has allocated $15 billion (17.3 trillion Iraqi dinars) for infrastructure projects in the proposed 2012 budget. At the last budget meeting on 5th December, Baghdad set the budget at $100 billion (115.8 trillion IQD) with a deficit of $13.5 million. Abdul-Hussein Abtan, a member of the House of Representatives […]
The Iraqi housing and rehabilitation minister, Mr Mohammad Darraji, has urged Jordanian construction firms and contractors to enter Iraq, reports Steel Guru. Jordanians have a real opportunity to contribute to Iraq's huge rebuilding projects, for which the government has allocated $40 billion in 2012, he said. Mr Darraji made the remarks during a meeting with […]
With just another month to go in Nouri al-Maliki's 100-day ultimatum to his ministers to improve services, the Prime Minister is now increasing the pressure once more. In addition to sacking ministers who have not performed within the required time, Maliki is also suggesting dissolving the government or even the entire parliament, either at the […]
Iraq has approved an ambitious $37-billion [45 trillion Iraqi dinar] programme to upgrade Iraq's collapsing infrastructure, which has fallen victim to three decades of war and sanctions, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh (pictured) said on Tuesday. AFP reports that the cabinet's plans, which must now be approved by parliament, are the latest in efforts by the […]
Overview Levels of violence rose slightly in Iraq last week, although conditions have generally been quiet so far in 2011 and the number of weekly security incidents has not yet exceeded 40. The majority of violence is currently taking place in Baghdad and Mosul, although last week saw several attacks in the provinces of Anbar […]
With unrest in several Arab cities, many in the region are worried about the risk of contagion. The latest flashpoints are Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Jordan and Algeria; but is Iraq vulnerable as well? The people certainly have a lot to complain about. Electricity The heat and increased use of air conditioning put a major strain […]
