Qatar’s manufacturing sector adds $7.25bn to GDP in H1 

The gains come amid the rollout of Qatar’s National Manufacturing Strategy 2024–2030. Getty
Short Url
Updated 29 October 2025
Follow

Qatar’s manufacturing sector adds $7.25bn to GDP in H1 

JEDDAH: Qatar’s manufacturing sector contributed 26.84 billion Qatari riyals ($7.25 billion) to the nation’s gross domestic product in the first half of 2025, reflecting strong industrial growth, trade expansion, and digital business reforms. 

The sector added 13.44 billion riyals in the second quarter alone, the Qatar News Agency reported, citing data published by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. 

The announcement followed the ministry’s third quarterly performance review for 2025, chaired by Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al-Thani, and attended by Undersecretary Mohammed bin Hassan Al-Malki, along with assistant undersecretaries and department directors. 

The gains come amid the rollout of Qatar’s National Manufacturing Strategy 2024–2030, which aims to generate 70.5 billion riyals in value added, boost non-hydrocarbon exports to 49 billion riyals, and attract 2.75 billion riyals in annual industrial investments by 2030.

The strategy features 15 initiatives and 60 projects designed to advance smart manufacturing, enhance research, and align education with industry requirements.

The statement noted that the meeting reviewed the third quarter achievements, sector performance, and challenges, while exploring solutions to improve implementation, efficiency, and service quality. 

“Among the notable achievements highlighted was the entry into force of the Qatar–Turkiye economic and trade partnership agreement on August 1, 2025, which has boosted trade exchange and eased investment restrictions,” QNA reported. 

The agency added that the ministry also launched a digital platform to showcase public-private partnership projects and introduced 20 new e-services covering licensing, market monitoring, competition protection, consumer rights, and anti-commercial fraud. 

In the third quarter, the ministry rolled out the “My Companies” mobile service, a voluntary mergers and acquisitions review program, and received the Golden Shield award, ranking first in the 11th Cybersecurity Drill. 

Other milestones included unifying land, sea, and air freight in a single commercial registry, issuing temporary licenses for Sealine service providers, updating industrial and trade guides, convening the Public–Private Dialogue Forum, enhancing cooperation with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and granting certain fee exemptions. 

Trade indicators showed strong momentum, with new commercial registrations rising 81.5 percent year on year, active registrations increasing 18.1 percent, and company setup time reduced to two days, QNA stated. 

Active commercial licenses grew 6.8 percent, while 4,631 new non-Qatari companies were established. The single-window platform added five e-services, processed 72,500 transactions — 89 percent electronically — and achieved 94 percent customer satisfaction. 

“Regarding business environment enhancement, the Ministry successfully identified and resolved 35 percent of the challenges facing the private sector. Twelve PPP projects were studied in 2025, three more than in Q2, with four new projects launched and one awarded in Q3,” QNA reported. 

In the consumer affairs sector, the number of specialized licenses issued increased 30.87 percent compared with the third quarter of 2024, while processing time was reduced to one day. 

The time required to process price-adjustment requests for goods and services also fell compared with the first two quarters of 2025. Beneficiaries of ration services rose 2.61 percent year on year, while the number of fodder distributors surged 96.9 percent, the report added. 


Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil, Samref ink deal to study Yanbu refinery upgrade

Updated 08 December 2025
Follow

Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil, Samref ink deal to study Yanbu refinery upgrade

RIYADH: Energy giants Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil, and Samref have signed a venture framework agreement to upgrade the Yanbu refinery and expand it into an integrated petrochemical complex.

As a part of the deal, the companies will explore capital investments to upgrade and diversify production, including high-quality distillates that result in lower emissions and high-performance chemicals, according to a joint press statement.

The agreement will also see the parties explore opportunities to improve the refinery’s energy efficiency and reduce environmental impacts from operations through an integrated emissions-reduction strategy.

Samref is an equally owned joint venture between Aramco and Mobil Yanbu Refining Co. Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corp.

The refinery currently has the capacity to process more than 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day, producing a diverse range of energy products, including propane, automotive diesel oil, marine heavy fuel oil, and sulfur.

“This next phase of Samref marks a step in our long-term strategic collaboration with ExxonMobil. Designed to increase the conversion of crude oil and petroleum liquids into high-value chemicals, this project reinforces our commitment to advancing Downstream value creation and our liquids-to-chemicals strategy,” said Aramco Downstream President, Mohammed Y. Al Qahtani.

He added that the deal will help position Samref as a key driver of the Kingdom’s petrochemical sector’s growth.

The press statement further said that companies will commence a preliminary front-end engineering and design phase for the proposed project, which would aim to maximize operational advantages, enhance Samref’s competitiveness, and help to meet growing demand for high-quality petrochemical products in Saudi Arabia.

The firms added that these plans are subject to market conditions, regulatory approvals, and final investment decisions by Aramco and ExxonMobil.

“We value our partnership with Aramco and our long history in Saudi Arabia. We look forward to evaluating this project, which aligns with our strategy to focus on investments that allow us to grow high-value products that meet society’s evolving energy needs and contribute to a lower-emission future,” said Jack Williams, senior vice president of Exxon Mobil Corp.