The Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’ participated in the first International Product Exhibition and Conference (IPEC 2018), held under the patronage of H.H. the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani. The event is a first of its kind that aims to celebrate the relations of Qatar with its partners and strengthen trade ties and mutual relations with them.

Eleven countries are participating in the exhibition including Oman, Kuwait, Turkey, Pakistan and others, which have a large trade exchange with the State of Qatar. The conference provides an ideal forum for sharing best practices and relations between participating countries.

H.E. Dr. Eng. Saad bin Ahmed Al Muhannadi, President of the Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’ participated in the panel discussions titled "The Role of Infrastructure in Determining Export and Imports Competitiveness”, in which he talked about Ashghal’s key initiatives to involve local companies in its projects and opportunities to participate in implementing them.

H.E. added "in one year of blockade, we were able to increase the number of Qatari materials by 65%, making the total number 159 materials. We also increased the number of Qatari vendors by 63% making the total number 131 vendors. This is in addition to increasing the number of international materials by 21% making the total 953 materials, and increasing the number of vendors by 19% making the total 764 vendors.”

The exhibition included four panel discussions on sustainability of economic growth in Qatar in collaboration with business partners, and initiatives and strategies for Qatar National Vision 2030, in addition to discussing the role of infrastructure in enhancing trade competitiveness, import and export and promoting investment in free zones.

It is worth mentioning that the first edition of IPEC aims to open up horizons for diverse businesses in Qatar, and enables investors to have direct access to projects in Qatar and to meet with key decision makers in government and the private sector. The conference supports big and small businesses and offers an opportunity to celebrate Qatar's strong relations with its partners from all over the world.