Sudani: We have provided an attractive and safe environment for investment.

Sudani: We have provided an attractive and safe environment for investment.

2025/11/06

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani affirmed the provision of an attractive and safe environment for investment, and that the government has made great efforts to enhance services in all areas of the capital, indicating that systematic and structural steps have been taken to reform the economy and not rely solely on oil. While sponsoring a signing ceremony for the rehabilitation and development of Baghdad International Airport, he launched the “Basma” initiative to grant women easy loans.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Media Office, received by Al-Sabah, stated that “Al-Sudani received yesterday, Wednesday, a number of tribal sheikhs, dignitaries and social elites from the areas of Abu Ghraib, Al-Adhamiya, Al-Salikh and Al-Taji in Baghdad, in the presence of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and the Prime Minister’s advisor Sarah Iyad Allawi.”

Al-Sudani welcomed the delegation of tribal leaders and dignitaries from Baghdad, stressing that the government has made great efforts to enhance services in all areas of the capital and has launched several infrastructure projects. He pointed to his national project, which aims to build and serve to restore the relationship between the people and the political system, based on a vision and programs built on meeting the priorities of citizens and their delayed entitlements due to the events that the country has witnessed over the past two decades.

The Prime Minister affirmed that “the government has succeeded in achieving many accomplishments during the past three years despite all the challenges, and our program focused on the issues that concern the citizen and finding solutions for them, and that with the population of Iraq exceeding (46) million people, this means the need for more services.”

Al-Sudani also pointed out “the need to take systematic and structural steps to reform the economy and not rely solely on oil. We have a direction to complete the implementation of the reform and development project. We have stopped importing oil derivatives that cost us around 6 trillion dinars, and we are moving towards stopping the burning of gas that costs us $4 billion annually. We have also made real reforms in many areas, including the financial and banking sector, to achieve economic development.”

The Prime Minister pointed to the provision of an attractive and safe environment for investment, which has absorbed more than $100 billion in Arab and foreign investments, and that major international companies are operating in Iraq today, which is a message that indicates the soundness of the measures taken by the government, stressing “the need for national political forces that look after the interests of Iraq and the Iraqis, in light of the events and repercussions that the region is witnessing. We have adopted a balanced policy to keep Iraq away from the wars and conflicts that the region has witnessed, and we have succeeded in preserving its security and stability.”

The Prime Minister stressed the need for active and conscious participation in the elections, as they are a constitutional right for everyone and will determine the fate of the country for the next four years.

In addition, the Prime Minister sponsored yesterday, Wednesday, the signing ceremony for awarding the tender to the winning consortium to implement the project to develop, expand and operate Baghdad International Airport, as the CAAP consortium, led by Corporation of America Airports, won.

A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office noted that the International Finance Corporation/IFC, a member of the World Bank Group and the government’s specialized advisor, worked for two years to prepare this tender, prepare the requirements for presenting the project to international companies, qualify the best bids, and prepare the contract for the public-private partnership to develop and operate the airport.

The development and modernization process will include the construction of a new passenger terminal with a capacity of (9) million passengers annually in the first phase, which will later increase to (15) million passengers, in addition to the rehabilitation of the runways, the installation of passenger boarding bridges, the construction of an integrated building for the Civil Aviation Authority, a modern VIP lounge, a modern car garage, and the rehabilitation of the comprehensive service systems in accordance with international airport standards, in addition to training the current Iraqi staff, and providing (1000) new job opportunities for every new million passengers when the capacity is increased.

The tender was signed on behalf of the Iraqi side by the Director General of the Contracts and Licensing Department at the Ministry of Transport, and on behalf of the investor side by the Director of Business Development for the Middle East region of the consortium.

In another context, the Prime Minister announced yesterday, Wednesday, the launch of the “Basma” initiative for soft loans for women, in order to establish small and medium enterprises, in cooperation with a group of national banks.

Al-Sudani praised the efforts of everyone who contributed to launching this national initiative to enhance women’s participation in economic life and support their essential role in the advancement of the state and society, stressing that the government prioritizes women’s sectors, through more than one decision, most notably the formation of the Supreme Council for Women, which is a message of interest and coordination of the state’s efforts regarding women.

Al-Sudani explained the government’s keenness on the economic empowerment of women, within plans to reduce unemployment and provide job opportunities for women, and to work on activating and sponsoring activities that support them materially and morally, noting that the Riyada initiative, which included more than (500) thousand young men and women, had women as a percentage (27%) of the applicants.

The Prime Minister also praised the private sector, especially banks, for their role in many initiatives, including the “Basma” initiative, whereby the government will provide, in addition to loans, training, support and consulting platforms for various projects.

The (Basma) initiative includes funding for diverse women’s projects covering productive, service and technical sectors, including home food production projects, sewing projects, small e-commerce, agriculture, women’s service centers, nurseries and various design fields. The initiative is implemented according to easy conditions that take into account the privacy of small and medium-sized women’s projects.

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