Al-Alaq: 90% of Iraqi housing projects are funded by the Central Bank with 13 trillion dinars
Al-Alaq: 90% of Iraqi housing projects are funded by the Central Bank with 13 trillion dinars
2024-11-16 00:32
Shafaq News/ The Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Ali Al-Alaq, confirmed on Saturday that 90% of housing projects in Iraq are financed by the bank, and have led to the activation of economic activity in the country, noting that the financing of housing, commercial and investment loans has reached 13 trillion dinars.
Al-Alaq said during his speech at the conference held by Al-Baidar Center for Studies under the title “Transition towards a flexible economy in Iraq”, which was attended by Shafaq News Agency correspondent, that “there must be a comprehensive strategy that focuses on policies that create a real partnership between the public and private sectors and move to mobilize economic tools, whether in financial or economic policy.”
He pointed out that “one of these tools is the state’s general budget, which constitutes a fundamental pillar in determining the paths of the economy and growth and represents a real confrontation with the challenge,” indicating that “the absence of planning has become a kind of challenge represented by the fact that flexibility in the spending aspect is limited, and this requires that there be an ability to cover actual and real spending.”
He explained that “restructuring the budget is necessary because the state’s public spending determines many paths and the shape of the different economic trends and confronts the changes that occur in this framework.”
Al-Alaq pointed out that “the recent call by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to restructure the state ministries and their laws is aimed at addressing the role of the government and ministries and participation in the public and economic sector.”
He stressed that “there is talk about resources that could generate revenues for the state, if there was real efficiency and effectiveness in generating revenues, and that there are many sources and opportunities to enhance those revenues,” indicating that “the intensification with the change that occurs in oil prices leads to a decrease in the state’s general budget revenues, and is reflected in the investment budget, and considering that the other part is represented by salaries and wages, the decrease in oil prices affects investments.”
He explained that “monetary and fiscal policy constitute economic policy and there must be effective coordination between the two policies to reach acceptable results,” stressing that “the preparation of the general budget must be a basic partner in shaping its features, and this matter is largely related to the function of the bank. For example, the size of the deficit has a direct impact on monetary policy and this must be studied directly.”
Al-Alaq concluded by saying, “Supporting private sector financing should be a key partner with the government to implement the economic program in many sectors, and the Central Bank launched the initiative to finance residential, commercial and investment loans, and this number reached 13 trillion dinars to finance projects, as 90% of housing projects in Iraq are financed by the Central Bank and have led to the activation of economic activity in the country.”
shafaq.com
