His Excellency Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani, Minister of Commerce and Industry, chaired the Ministry’s quarterly meeting to review performance for the first quarter of 2025. The meeting was attended by H.E. Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, H.E. Mr. Mohamed bin Hassan Al Maliki, Undersecretary of the Ministry, along with assistant undersecretaries and directors of administrative units.
During the meeting, the overall performance of the Ministry was reviewed and evaluated, and the progress of work against approved strategic plans was assessed. Highlights from the meeting included major achievements during the first quarter – such as enabling the establishment of companies from outside Qatar using the foreign investor’s passport; simplifying procedures for issuing environmental permits for facilities, through collaboration between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change; cooperating with the Ministry of Transport to include logistical activities under a single commercial registration; and announcing the automatic issuance of a tax card upon issuing a commercial registration. Additionally, the Ministry launched the "National Product" page on its website to support a fair competitive environment and enhance the quality of national products. The Ministry also announced the start of the verification period for local factories eligible to benefit from advantages under the In-Country Value Plus (ICV+) policy.
The meeting further discussed the key performance indicators for various sectors and administrative units. Results showed that the contribution of the manufacturing sector to real GDP reached QAR 52.4 billion in 2024. Qatar also achieved significant progress in business efficiency rankings, according to reports by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), advancing from the 18th place globally in 2022 to the 11th place in 2024. During the first quarter, the Ministry continued its inspection efforts, conducting 39,558 inspection campaigns.
The meeting also reviewed the progress of projects under the Third National Development Strategy – concluding that 17 percent of the Ministry’s projects were completed and work is ongoing on 23 percent of projects.
In the field of trade affairs, the number of new commercial registrations increased by 32% YoY compared to the first quarter of 2024. The ministerial decision to reduce service fees and allow company establishment from abroad, using only a passport, continued to positively impact the sector, contributing to an 87% increase in the number of new commercial licenses issued versus the same quarter in 2024. The Ministry also recorded a reduction in the average time required to issue commercial registrations compared to the same period a year earlier. Furthermore, the increase of permissible activities for home-based businesses from 10 to 63 activities led to a 54% surge in the number of home business licenses.
The Single Window platform rolled out three new e-services during the first quarter of 2025, with 38 additional services expected to be launched during the year, amid high user satisfaction with e-services. Local patent applications, trademark registration applications, and copyright registration applications grew by more than 18% compared to the first quarter of 2024.
In the industrial affairs and business development sector, eight new factories commenced operations in the first quarter, with new industrial investments amounting to QAR 50 million. Non-hydrocarbon industrial exports reached approximately QAR 29.8 billion. The sector also started reviewing six public-private partnership opportunities during the first quarter of 2025.
In the consumer affairs sector, the Ministry continued to reduce trade violations through intensive inspection and awareness campaigns. The strategic inventory and safety levels of food and fodder supplies were also reviewed.
The meeting concluded with a review of the progress of projects approved during the first quarter of 2025, a discussion of the key challenges facing the Ministry, and the exploration of proposed solutions to strengthen plan implementations, ensure continuous performance improvements, and enhance operational quality.
