DOHA: Qatar was second among the five largest recipient countries in the Middle East with foreign direct investment (FDI) worth over $10bn in 2009, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report 2010, which was released yesterday.

The report notes that governments’ sustained commitment to ambitious infrastructure plans is expected to support the recovery in FDI flows this year. In the GCC, inflows decreased in 2009 after six years of consecutive increases, growing from less than $10bn in 2000 to approximately $60bn in 2008 and dropping to $50bn last year.

The World Investment Report 2010 also notes that investment policy measures such as fully opening up new sectors for FDI like in Qatar, reducing taxes to stimulate the economy as a whole, or particular sectors or regions like in Oman and Turkey, and raising the ceiling for foreign ownership like in Syria have generally improved the conditions for FDI in the region.

The report sees significant opportunities for foreign investors due to ambitious infrastructure development plans in the region. On the other hand, says the report, there are mixed prospects for outflows in the short term, with some countries like Qatar already looking for investment opportunities abroad and others, like the UAE, refocusing on their home economies.[Read More]