MOTC Hosts Romanian IT Trade Mission

Qatar IT Industry Awards 2018 Is Now Open For Nomination Submissions

Doha – Qatar The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) is proud to announce that the Qatar IT Business Awards are now open for nomination submissions. The final date to submit nominations will be 19th April. The Awards presentation will be held on 6th May under the patronage of the Minister of Transport and Communications HE Jassem bin Saif Al Sulaiti.The award program comes as part of the Ministry's keenness to honor the organizations that have benefitted the ICT Industry and the development of innovation during the year 2017. The award program is an annual event and is being held for the fourth time. Information relating to the award categories and the criteria, terms, and conditions can be found by visiting the official awards site www.qitba.qa. An independent panel of experts who have expertise in technology and business will judge the awards nominations.Winning an award at the Qatar IT Business Awards will raise the profile of the winners and help to position them more strongly in both local and international markets.Commenting on the launch of the program Ms. Reem Al Mansouri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Development of Digital Society at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, said:  “MOTC is committed to accelerating ICT sector development through supporting local players to develop their skills and enhance their capabilities, and raise their service standards to match the level required to compete regionally and internationally. This commitment is demonstrated by the Qatar IT Business Awards 2018, which recognize and promote the achievements made in the ICT Market in Qatar, across multiple categories. This will encourage the development of the ICT sector for companies, organizations and individuals.”The Awards categories announced for this year are:1-        Service Provider of the Year2-        Systems Integrator of the Year3-        Best Mobile Application of the Year4-        Cloud Service Provider of the Year5-        Tech Startup of the year6-        Smart Transport Solution of the Year7-        Smart Logistics Solution of the Year8-        Smart Environment Solution of the Year9-        Smart Healthcare Solution of the Year10-      Smart Sports Solution of the Year11-      Best SME Digital Transformation project of the Year12-      Best eCommerce Solution13-      Innovative Fintech Solution of the year14-      ICT Exporter of the year AwardNominations can be submitted at www.qitba.qa by 19th April.For Register click here.

Minister meets ICAO’s Delegation

Doha – QatarHE Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti met today at the Ministry’s headquarters with Mr. Mohamed Khalifa Rahma, Regional Director, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Middle East Office, Mr. Chris Dalton, Mr. Chris Dalton, Chief, Airspace Management and Optimization (AMO) Section, ICAO and Mr. Elie El Khoury, ICAO Regional Officer Air Traffic Management, Search and Rescue.The meeting discussed all updates related to safety and security in civil aviation domain.The meeting was attended by Chairman of Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority HE Mr. Abdullah bin Nasser Turki Al-Subaey.      

THE Ministry workshop on Qatar's accession to TIR Convention

Doha- QatarThe Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) held on Tuesday a workshop on Qatar's accession to the United Nations' TIR Convention, in collaboration with the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) as well as several bodies concerned in the country.The workshop seeks to introduce participants to the details of the Convention, present the objectives and benefits of the State of Qatar's accession to it, define the tasks and responsibilities of the parties concerned to activate the State of Qatar's accession to the Convention, as well as agree on a plan of action and timetable to complete the procedures and requirements by the concerned authorities in the State to activate Qatar's accession to the Convention.In a speech, Rashid Taleb Al Nabit, Assistant Undersecretary for Land Transport Affairs at the MOTC, said the ministry, given the unjust siege imposed on Qatar, was keen to take all necessary measures to meet all international agreements signed with friendly countries in the transport and communications sector which shall be respected by all parties, where the land transport sector with all its modes plays a very vital role.The ministry, he said, has facilitated the movement of international transport and trade, benefiting from the experiences and lessons learned from the development of an integrated road transport system in line with best regional and international practices.He added that the State of Qatar has signed a number of memorandums of understanding and bilateral and multilateral agreements, including TIR Convention to facilitate the movement of trade and land transport with a view to deepening regional and international trade and economic cooperation and regulating and facilitating land transport along with its integration with other modes of transport, including ports, airports, public transport, railways and metro.Al Nabit pointed out that the accession of Qatar to this Convention will contribute to saving transport costs significantly thanks to removing transaction fees for those goods, in addition to reducing transport duration from countries of origin to Qatar, while its other benefits include enabling free movement for land transport modes, unifying and facilitating customs procedures, facilitating and accelerating the transfer of goods from country of origin to country of destination, as well as the abolition of some fees at the crossings between countries, a matter which contributes to reducing costs and adds security benefits under the Convention such as the system of tracking the movement of goods from country of origin to country of destination.He pointed out that the State of Qatar, represented by the MOTC, seeks to enhance trade exchange with other countries and to boost the competitiveness of local industries. This will make Qatar more flexible in the face of changes in the global economic environment by enhancing the role of the private sector and actively involved it in various transport projects in the country, he said.Al Nabit added that the final draft of the strategic plan to stimulate and involve the private sector as well as to provide a guide for companies to encourage and attract private investments suitable for private sector participation has been finalized.Major projects to develop transport projects were launched and the private sector is taking part in them, Al Nabit said, pointing out that the share of the private sector in the projects of Hamad Airport, Hamad Port and Doha Metro exceeded 70% of the total implementation of these projects.For his part, Chairman of General Authority of Customs (GAC) Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Jamal said that the application of the TIR Convention will facilitate and simplify import and export procedures and contribute effectively to overcoming the effects of the unjust siege imposed on the state by opening new transport routes through land and ports of brotherly and friendly countries.He added that the participation of the GAC in this workshop was to emphasize its vital role in the comprehensive economic development witnessed by the State of Qatar, where the Authority is the competent authority in the State to monitor the entry and exit of goods as well as means of transport through different customs outlets and apply relevant international legislations and conventions.He pointed out that the General Authority of Customs has started taking the necessary measures to put the agreement into effect as it contacted the Qatar Chamber to be TIR national guaranteeing and issuing association in the State of Qatar in accordance with the requirements of the Convention, adding that coordination is underway between the two sides to prepare models and operational procedures.It is noteworthy that the transport and communications sector, which its role is key in the economic and social growth in the country, is receiving great attention by the state as it allocated QR42 billion of the 2018 budget to the ministry, equivalent to 21% of the state budget expenditures, while the value of infrastructure, land transport and road projects amounted to QR29 billion, of which the land transport projects account for 95%. (QNA)

Minister Holds Talks with Tunisian, German and Azerbaijani Ambassadors to Qatar

Doha – QatarHE Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti held separate meetings here today withTheir Excellences Ambassadors Mr. Salah Al-Salehi of Tunisia, Mr. Hans-Udo Muzel of the Federal Republic of Germany and Mr. Rashad Ismayilov of the Republic of Azerbaijan.The three meetings discussed cooperation between Qatar and the three sisterly countries of Tunisia, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Azerbaijan in the fields of transportation and communications and means of further enhancing them.

E-commerce Forum Qatar 2018 to be held on April 17

Doha- QatarThe Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) will organise Qatar’s e-Commerce Forum 2018 at the St Regis Doha Hotel on April 17. The forum will discuss the latest trends and developments in e-commerce in Qatar and around the world.It will host more than 12 leading local, regional and international e-commerce experts from key companies including Google, 212 Capital, Ecommerce Foundation and others.The forum will also discuss some of the most important topics of interest to startups and e-commerce companies in Qatar regarding the effective tools of market leaders to win consumer confidence and what is needed to secure venture capital investment as well as emerging trends in e-commerce.Keynote speakers include director of industry at Google Mehmet Keteloglu, who will review emerging trends in e-commerce and ways to empower and launch e-commerce capabilities in Qatar. Jorij Abraham, member of the Ecommerce Foundation, will review the future of online shopping and shopping experience in 2020 and beyond, while Goksu Tugay Bilal, head of customer experience at Turkey’s e-commerce platform, Hepsiburada.com, will speak of the success of this platform called Turkish Amazon.The forum will also include two panel discussions on the most important topics of e-commerce. The first session, entitled “Trust in Electronic Commerce” will address the positive impact of the trust mark in each country and the future plans of each institution for growth and progress.The second session will review a number of local success stories and lessons learned in order to compete and succeed in the Qatari market, as well as ways to develop the local e-commerce market in light of the potential and opportunities of Qatar in this field.An exhibition of the latest local startups in the field of e-commerce, e-shopping sites and mobile applications will also organised. Register here.