Commenting on the war in Gaza, Sheikh Mohammed underlined the severe humanitarian crisis on the ground, which he said “increased and led to thousands of deaths among women, children and many innocent people.”

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani addressed the fourth edition of the Qatar Economic Forum (QEF) on Tuesday under the patronage of Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister, announced the launch of the ‘Fanar’ artificial intelligence regional project, which is set to collect high-quality data.

“It will enhance the different linguistic programmes and enrich the Arab language,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

The project’s launch came under Qatar’s efforts to expand its digital transformation through increased investments in technology, innovation and AI, Sheikh Mohammed explained. 

He noted that Qatar has adopted QAR 9 billion (around $2.4 billion) in incentives to achieve its endeavours.

This was also seen in February when Qatar became the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to host the Web Summit. 

The event served as a platform for global entrepreneurs and tech experts to engage in discussions over the latest trends and challenges in the digital world.

Global uncertainty 

This year’s edition of QEF is held under the theme ‘A World Remake: Navigating the Year of Uncertainty’.

Commenting on the event’s title, Sheikh Mohammed tapped into the current global crises and conflicts. Some of the issues he raised included the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Sudan war and the current genocide in Gaza.

“We meet today as our world witnesses crises and challenges and barely came out of the Covid-19 crisis and we found ourselves facing wars impacting different parts of our daily lives,” he said.

Commenting on the war in Gaza, Sheikh Mohammed underlined the severe humanitarian crisis on the ground, which he said “increased and led to thousands of deaths among women, children and many innocent people.”

“The state of Qatar was among the first who warned against the risks of the expansion of this crisis and this war, despite this, the world was unable to put an end to it, and the repercussions reached the Red Sea which affected world navigation and trade which was already struggling,” he noted.

Israel waged its genocidal war in Gaza on October 7, 2023, and has since killed more than 35,000 people while creating a catastrophic humanitarian situation in The Strip.

The war led to flare-ups across the region including the Red Sea, where tensions have been on the rise with the Houthis. With the Red Sea being a high-tension zone, many shipments had to reroute in order to avoid the high-risk area.

Qatar’s economic growth

Qatar’s prime minister also highlighted his country’s economic growth and resilience in navigating through challenges. He pointed to Sheikh Tamim’s “leadership and wisdom” in helping the country prosper and achieve the goals of the  Qatar National Vision 2030.

“This has allowed the country to face multiple challenges reaching the flexibility that is a characteristic of Qatar’s economy and puts it at the international level in addition to its richness in natural and human resources,” he said.

Putting figures into the facts, Sheikh Mohammed said that Doha’s gross domestic product saw a 1.60 percent growth, with further efforts to diversify Qatar’s economy and become among the top 10 countries for businesses.

As an energy giant, Qatar’s economy is only expected to witness further growth with its mega North Field Expansion project.

The multi-billion North Field project comes under Qatar’s liquified natural gas endeavours and is split into the North Field East (NFE), North Field South (NFS), and North Field West.

NFE is set to ramp up Qatar’s LNG production from 77 to 110 mtpa (metric tonnes per annum) by 2025, as the NFS will increase the production capacity from 110 to 126 mtpa by 2026.

North Field West would represent an almost 85 percent increase in production in comparison to the current 77 mtpa.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud that the State of Qatar is an economic opportunity land that many from around the world are benefitting from. It is a basis for the success of the region so that everyone could benefit from the welfare,” Sheikh Mohammed said as he concluded his speech.