Background
Doha is the capital city of Qatar. It is located on the Persian Gulf and has a population of 400,051 according to the 2005 census. Doha is Qatar's largest city - 83 per cent of inhabitants reside in Doha and its main suburb Al-Rayyan. Doha is the seat of government of Qatar, a country that is ruled by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani who is the ruling Emir of Qatar.

The demography of Doha is unusual - most residents are expatriates and Qatari nationals are in a minority. South Asian countries form the largest proportion of expatriates and these are mainly from India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Bangladesh. Numerous other countries around the world are also represented.

Doha is currently served by Doha International Airport, Qatar's only international airport. This is the hub of Qatar Airways. Doha has an extensive and growing road network which is undergoing vast upgrades, including the creation of many highways. The Doha Port, among the country's largest ports, is located just off the Doha Corniche.

Economy
Much of Qatar's oil and natural gas wealth can be seen in Doha, the economic centre of Qatar. Indeed, Doha is the headquarters of the country's largest oil and gas companies, such as Qatar Petroleum, Qatargas and RasGas. The economy in Doha is built on the revenue the country has made from the oil and natural gas industries, however, the government is trying to diversify the economy in order to move away from this dependence on oil. As such, Doha is experiencing a major boom, with the city developing very rapidly. Nationally, measures have been put in place to grow the non-hydrocarbon economy. These include the development of more small and medium-size enterprises; promotional activities such as the Asian Games (Qatar was host to the games in 2006 which were based in Doha); the creation of the Qatar Financial Centre, again in Doha; the creation of global brands such as Qatar Airways; investments in energy-intensive industries and R&D facilities; and the development of world-class educational institutions

Doha’s ongoing growth and development has seen the population of the city increasing by more than 60,000 between 2004 and 2006 and this has led to a boom in the real estate sector, with prices rocketing. Significant projects include the Lusail City project, being constructed north of Doha, which will eventually house 200,000 people. Construction is also burgeoning as a result of increasing corporate and commercial activity in Doha. Just walk around the city and you can witness a dramatically changing skyline - Doha has over 50 towers currently being constructed, the largest being the Dubai Towers. In addition, 39 new hotels are either completed or on in construction stage and these are set to add about 9,000 new rooms by the end of 2009. Other key projects in Doha include Aspire Tower, the Museum of Islamic Art, The Pearl and Al Waab City.

Investment climate and opportunities
The Government of Qatar announced plans to allocate a total expenditure of $25bn for the fiscal year 2009/10 despite projecting a budgetary deficit of $1.5bn (or 2 per cent of GDP). Of the $25bn, 40 per cent will be allocated to non-oil and gas sectors, and this is a reflection a strong commitment to invest in economic diversification via public spending on transportation, health care, education and housing projects. The implications of this vast influx of spending are obvious multiplier effects on the rest of the economy, leading to numerous opportunities in a ranger or commercial and industrial projects. A sizeable majority of these will be in Doha.

In the energy sector Qatar has attracted an estimated $100bn in investment, with approximately $60-70bn coming from the US. However, it is felt that many opportunities exist for UK firms in this sector and it also worth considering that it is estimated that Qatar will invest over $120bn in the energy sector in the next ten years. Again, Doha will receive the brunt of this.

In construction, Doha, as mentioned above, is growing at a rapid rate. It is estimated Qatar will invest $60 billion in roads, infrastructure development, housing and real estate, health/medical and sanitation projects in the coming years. Massive opportunities exist in Doha for companies that can provide project design, engineering and management expertise, in addition to the supply of inputs like cement and heavy machinery and equipment.

Other sectors with significant opportunities in Doha include education and training services, ICT, architecture, construction, engineering services, oil and gas equipment and medical equipment and services.