Kurdistan
Need for Food Storage in Sulaimaniya
January 13th, 2012 |
Food stocks in the governorate of Sulaimaniya are now less than two weeks according to Sirwan Mohammed, the head of Sulaimaniya Chamber of Commerce.
He told AKnews that since last year his office has been demanding the government allocate land plots to the Chamber so that it can construct new storage units.
He added that last year the Chamber took over 132 stores but “they are not enough even for three businessmen.”
More than 1,500 businessmen have demanded the Chamber provide them with plots of land to build food stores.
Mohammed said since 1991 both the number of Kurdish businessmen and their capital has increased.
“Those businessmen who could only trade one container now can trade 100 containers,” he said.
Khasraw Kamal, Sulaimaniya mayor, told AKnews: “This case is not related to us at all. They can follow up the issue with the Ministry of Trade. Our work is to provide land for the industrial sector not commercial.”
(Source: AKnews)
Articol din 
Flydubai adds two new Iraqi routes
January 13th, 2012 |
Flydubai has added two additional Iraqi destinations to its network with flights to Baghdad and Najaf due to start in the New Year.
The new routes bring flydubai’s network to 48 destinations across 27 countries in the Gulf, Middle East, Africa, Indian Sub-Continent, Asia and the fringes of Europe.
Flydubai launched services to Iraq in 2010, serving Erbil and Sulaimaniyah, providing a huge impetus to travel between the UAE and Iraq, while promoting trade ties between the two countries. The new routes mean flydubai now offers 14 flights a week to Iraq.
Flights to the two destinations will start in the New Year, allowing travellers from the UAE to take advantage of low-cost fares to two of Iraq’s commercial hubs.
The four-times weekly flights to Baghdad will begin on January 17, with the three times a week service to Najaf commencing on January 29.
Flydubai CEO Gaith Al Gaith said:
“The UAE is currently one of Iraq’s top trading partners with non-oil trade between the two countries growing 32.6 per cent to Dh26.4 billion, compared to 2008. Our flights to Arbil and Sulaimaniyah encouraged business travel and we aim to mirror that success by connecting two of Iraq’s main commercial and business centres to the UAE. In addition to cultural authenticity, Iraq has a wealth of investment opportunities across sectors such as oil and gas, agriculture and we hope the routes will stimulate UAE-based and international business to explore these opportunities.“
Flights to Baghdad will operate four times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from January 17. One way fares from Dubai to Baghdad start at Dh1,230, with fares from Baghdad to Dubai starting at $315.
Investment Opportunity: Karbala Monorail
January 13th, 2012 |
Iraq’s National Investment Commission (NIC) announced on Monday the details of the new Kerbala Monorail, and invited interested parties to contact them:
- Length of the line (18 KM)
- Project Type (Monorail) – High Concrete mono rail of two ways known locally as Kerbala Monorail.
- Number of stations (20) the distance between each station and another (800- 1000M)
- In the first stage, the line shall connect the Visitors City – Baghdad road, Al- Bedaa railway station, Bab Baghdad area, Tweredg road, the university, Ibrahemiah and the Visitors’ road of Babylon Gate.
- The successive coming of the trains to the stations must take (1-2) Minutes
- Maximum train speed 90 km/hour
- Number of vehicles for each train (4-6)
- The electrical power is to be provided by the project generators only.
Willing investors can submit their technical, economic offers and the funding plans with filling up the investment application form available on NIC website and enclosing all documents required (mentioned in page No. 7 of the same application) and send it either directly to the NIC premises or to the email:
oss@investpromo.gov.iq .
Notice: applications can be submitted within one month from the date of publishing this announcement.
New Railway Opened Between Karbala and Musayyib
January 13th, 2012 |
A new railway line between Karbala and Musayyib [Musayyab] was opened this week by the Transport Ministry, reports AKnews.
The new line was opened in Babil and Karbala Provinces just to the south of Baghdad, to transport Shiite pilgrims marking the 40th day after Hussein Ibn Ali was martyred. Around 8,000 people are expected to be traveling from Musayyib to Karbala for the ceremonies.
The federal government had allocated 5 billion IQD ($4.2 million USD) to provide services, including transport, to visitors.
The chairman of Karbala Provincial Council, Mohammed Hamid al-Moussawi, told AKnews the Ministry wants to reduce road traffic when pilgrims return to their homes after the ceremonies.
“The most significant problem for Karbala is transferring the visitors to their provinces at the end of the visit, although new railway lines have been opened and several Iraqi ministries including Trade, Transport and Defense participate in the transport process.”
“The government in Karbala began building a modern road network last year to link the Province with its neighbours. The Ya Houssein road cost 50 billion IQD ($42.8 million USD) and was paid for by the Iraqi Council of Representatives. It will reduce traffic on the main roads that connect Karbala to Baghdad, Babil and Najaf Provinces, and it is scheduled to be completed this year.”
(Source: AKnews)
$57m for Services in Khaniqin
January 13th, 2012 |
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is planning to implement services projects costing a total of 67 billion dinars ($57 million) in the areas of Khaniqin, Jalawla’ and Sadiya, according to Aswat al-Iraq.
Khaniqin and other adjacent areas are among the areas disputed between the central government and Kurdistan, a problem which it is hoped will be solved according article 140 of the constitution.
(Source: Aswat al-Iraq)
Zain Iraq signs $650m deal with Ericsson
January 13th, 2012 |
In one of the largest deals of its kind in the Middle East, Zain, one of Iraq’s leading mobile telecommunications providers, has signed a US$650 million five-year network outsourcing agreement with Ericsson, the world’s leading provider of telecommunications technology and services and its local partner SIM (Service in Motion).
Under this agreement, Ericsson will optimize, modernize and manage IT operations and Zain’s mobile network in Iraq that currently includes more than 3,700 sites across the country. This agreement also extends to the northern region of Kurdistan where Zain has recently launched commercial services and is expanding to meet customer demand.
This is a significant deal for Zain as the agreement is expected to enhance the company’s competitiveness in the Iraqi market. Zain served over 12.4 million active customers in Iraq as of 30 September 2011. The deal with Ericsson will enable Zain to increase its focus on its core customer facing business activities such as managing its customer relationships and to offer a shorter time-to-market for offering new services and technologies. The arrangement with Ericsson has the objective of improving network efficiency, reducing operating costs and optimizing Zain’s investment in Iraq.
The deal also gives Ericsson its first major managed services agreement in Iraq, reflecting the increased attention of both companies on the growing Iraqi market.
Mr Nabeel Bin Salamah, Zain Group CEO said:
“Through this agreement, Zain in Iraq will be better positioned to support the evolution and growth of the Iraqi telecommunication industry. Zain Group’s investment in Iraq since the launch of commercial services in 2003 and the subsequent development of the country’s largest mobile network has exceeded US$4.5 billion and we will do our utmost in ensuring that all Iraqis receive the urgently-needed quality mobile telecommunication services they deserve.”
Emad Makiya, CEO of Zain Iraq, confident that the outsourcing agreement will have many benefits for the company and its customers, commented:
“Choosing Ericsson, which has well over 15 years’ experience in managing outsourced networks in partnership with SIM to help operate our network in Iraq, fits perfectly within our business objectives of improving efficiency and the quality of our networks and operations. As a result, we will be in a stronger position to dedicate resources and assets to our core business operations, continuing to improve customer support, developing and launching new products, services and mobile applications, and delivering on the Zain brand promise of ‘A wonderful world’.”
Anders Lindblad, President of Ericsson Region Middle East, said:
“This agreement will allow Zain to strengthen its competitiveness in this growing market and allow them to focus on providing an improved experience to its mobile services subscribers. Ericsson has more than 45,000 service professionals and over 15,000 sourced resources, working with the same tools, methods and processes globally. We are now welcoming additions to that through the knowledge and expertise of the Zain employees in Iraq.”
Following its recent expansion to northern Kurdistan, Zain plans to invest in its network infrastructure in the coming years to increase its network coverage in the country. The company’s Corporate Social Responsibility support programs have stretched across many needy areas over the years, with Zain Iraq’s total contributions exceeding US$25 million to date. The company employs over 2,500 Iraqi nationals who regularly undergo professional training and advancement programs.
(Source: Zain)
Preparing for the future, Ericsson will replace and upgrade Zain’s network by introducing a single-RAN (Radio Access Network) platform, the latest advanced multi-technology, multi-standard and multi-band platform. This more advanced technology combined with Ericsson’s managed services offering built on improved quality of service and operational efficiency is a step towards giving Zain in Iraq the ability to launch and support 3G technology, and improve its customer experience.
KRG granted 1,500 Agricultural Loans in 2011
January 13th, 2012 |
The Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) gave loans to almost 1,500 individual projects in 2011, reports AKnews.
Nuri Ismael, The Ministry’s loans and marketing director, told the news agency that the agricultural banks in Sulaimaniya, Erbil, and Duhok provinces as well as Garmiyan area have given a total of 57.465 billion IQD (almost $49m) as loans to 1,498 projects.
The official did not provide any figures for comparison with the previous years.
Currently the maximum loan is 100 million IQD ($85,000 USD), to be repaid in installments, but Ismael added that the Ministry of Finance and Economics has decided to raise the maximum loan to 150m IQD ($127,500 USD).
“But we will try to issue new instructions for obtaining the loans so that more farmers can benefit from them,” he added.
Agriculture Minister Jamil Suleiman told AKnews in December that the Ministry will hold a conference in January to reconsider and improve agricultural loans which in the past few years have boosted the sector.
At the conference, the minister added, agricultural directors and the director-generals of the agricultural banks will recommend more productive methods for boosting agriculture in the region by utilising these loans.
Three years ago the Ministry announced a five year strategic plan which aims at regional self-sufficiency in vegetables, grains, diary and meat by end of 2013.
(Source: AKnews)
$21m Silo Under Construction in Erbil
January 13th, 2012 |
A new silo with a storage capacity of 60,000 tons of wheat is under construction in Erbil province, according to AKnews.
An advisor to the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Ministry of Trade and Industry, Faris Majid, told the news agency that the new project, worth $21 million, occupies a 70-acres site on the Erbil-to-Gwer road in the west of the province.
The Italian company which has undertaken the project is expected to complete construction by July.
Currently there is only one silo in central Erbil (16,000 tons) and one in its Makhmur suburb (100,000 tons). The silos have a limited capacity comparison to the annual volume of harvested wheat in the province, which can be as much as 180,000 tons.
The official said that the Ministry has also proposed to construct 4 more silos in Qushtapa, Chamchamal, Sharazur and Makhmur, each with a capacity of 40,000 tons.
Earlier Kheirullah Hassan, Kurdistan trade minister, told AKnews that Iraqi Trade Ministry has planned to construct 14 more silos in all Iraqi provinces, including those of the Kurdistan region, 2012 through 2014.
(Source: AKnews)
Industrial Town to be Built in Sulaimaniya
January 13th, 2012 |
A 3,000 acre industrial town is to be built in the Arbat district of Sulaymaniyah Governorate, according to a report from AKnews.
Sulaymaniyah Investment Commission met with a number of private companies this week to discuss the master plan for “The Industrial Town of Arbat District”, which will involve an initial investment of $3 billion USD (3,500 billion IQD).
Yasin Mahmoud, spokesman for Kurdistan Investors Union, told AKnews the construction of almost 450 factories of various sizes will begin this year because all formal bureaucratic boxes have been ticked.
Mahmoud said that Iran is especially interested in the project because the EU and U.S. are imposing economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic. It hopes the project is launched soon so that it can rescue some of its factories by relocating them to Arbat district, explains Mahmoud.
“It will become a very important project for Sulaymaniyah because it will change the city from a tourist destination to an industrial hub,” he added.
Farman Gharib, Sulaymaniyah investment director told AKnews that after the master plan for the project is approved, the plan will be opened to competing companies to bid for spaces.
(Source: AKnews)
Hill International to Manage Construction of Anbar Stadium
January 13th, 2012 |
Hill International (NYSE:HIL), the global leader in managing construction risk, has announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Iraqi Ministry of Youth and Sports to provide project management services in connection with construction of the new Al Anbar Olympic Stadium in Al Anbar, Iraq.
The two-year contract has an estimated value to Hill of approximately IQD 3.8 billion ($3.3 million).
The new 30,000-seat stadium, which will be designed to comply with FIFA standards, is expected to have a construction cost of approximately IQD 116 billion ($100 million). Hill’s services will include design review, site supervision, resident engineering, project management and quality control.
“This is an important project for our client as well as the citizens of Al Anbar province,” said Mohammed A. Al Rais, Senior Vice President and Managing Director (Middle East) for Hill’s Project Management Group. “We are confident that our team will make this project a success,” added Al Rais.
(Source: Hill International)
Hill International (NYSE:HIL), the global leader in managing construction risk, announced today that it has been awarded a contract by the Iraqi Ministry of Youth and Sports to provide project management services in connection with construction of the new Al Anbar Olympic Stadium in Al Anbar, Iraq. The two-year contract has an estimated value to Hill of approximately IQD 3.8 billion ($3.3 million).
The new 30,000-seat stadium, which will be designed to comply with FIFA standards, is expected to have a construction cost of approximately IQD 116 billion ($100 million). Hill’s services will include design review, site supervision, resident engineering, project management and quality control.
“This is an important project for our client as well as the citizens of Al Anbar province,” said Mohammed A. Al Rais, Senior Vice President and Managing Director (Middle East) for Hill’s Project Management Group. ”We are confident that our team will make this project a success,” added Al Rais.