From the World Bank: Conflict Pollution Hotspots in Iraq : Land Remediation for Livelihoods Restoration Successive conflicts in Iraq were characterized by tactics to damage its oil and industrial assets that not only led to huge economic loss, but pollution of environmental resources (air, land, and water) on an unprecedented scale. The Damage and Needs […]
By John Lee. France and the United Kingdom are to co-chair the Iraq Economic Contact Group (IECG) from the start of January. In a statement, the group added that, as friends and partners of Iraq, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the World Bank commit to […]
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, is supporting Sama Al-Manar and Manar FZCO, subsidiaries of Türkiye-based Tiryaki Agro, in developing a new state-of-the-art agro-industrial complex in Iraq's Umm Qasr Port, including a soybean crushing plant and warehouses, which will help bolster food security, create jobs, and diversify the country's economy […]
The ILO, the Central Bank of Iraq and partners celebrate success of the financial Inclusion Initiative for MSMEs under the PROSPECTS Programme [EN/AR] Hundreds of loans have been disbursed to aspiring entrepreneurs and existing MSMEs through the project, contributing to the creation and retention of more than 1,200 job opportunities for Iraqi host communities and […]
By John Lee. The World Bank has revised down its estimates for growth in Iraq. In its MENA Economic Update (previously known as MENA Economic Monitor), it says the forecast for GDP growth in Iraq for 2023 has been updated to -2.3 percent, 5.1 percentage points less than the forecast in April 2023, and significantly […]
From the World Bank: Statement on the Iraq Economic Monitor Spring/Summer 2023 The World Bank identified an error in the reporting of debt data for 2022 and projections for ensuing years reported in the recently published Iraq Economic Monitor (IEM) Spring/Summer 2023 issue. As a result, the debt-to-GDP ratio in 2022 was corrected from 53.8 […]
By John Lee. KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani welcomed a delegation from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) headed by Mr. Khawaja Aftab Ahmed, IFC's Regional Director for the Middle East, on Wednesday. During the meeting, the two parties discussed ways to enhance cooperation and expand joint projects between the KRG and the IFC, a member […]
By John Lee. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has signed an with the government of Iraq to act as lead transaction advisor for a public-private partnership (PPP) to rehabilitate, expand, finance, operate and maintain Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). Under the agreement, the IFC, will act as lead transaction […]
By John Lee. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani inaugurated the National Data Center at the General Secretariat of the Cabinet, marking a significant stride in Iraq's digital evolution. Al-Sudani inspected the progress of the first phase of the center's development, which incorporates smart screens and models depicting stages of the National Cloud Facility installation. This […]
By John Lee. A press release from the World Bank highlights the need for more schools to be built in Iraq. In their report -- Iraq: New schools and improved learning bring hope to the poorest children, but more is needed -- Jaime Saavedra and Elisabeth Sedmik argue that more than 8,000 schools need to […]
From the World Bank: Without Reforms, Iraq's Oil Boom Could Turn to Bust Iraq's economy continued its oil-driven recovery after the sharp pandemic-induced recession in 2020, but non-oil sectors have stagnated, and growth constraints have reemerged. Despite a record oil windfall and a long-awaited new budget, Iraq nevertheless remains at risk of missing the opportunity […]
By John Lee. The Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), Ali Mohsen Al-Alak, received a delegation from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a subsidiary of the World Bank Group. The meeting discussed bilateral cooperation in the banking sector and its development to align with global technologies. They also reviewed the latest updates on […]
