15/06/10

Letter from afar Qatar

by Ian White - once of Kent, now of dusty Doha

There's a business maxim over here based on a rule of fives. It says whatever you want takes five times as long, costs five times as much - and you only get a fifth of what you want.

Enshallah (if God wills) is the expression suitable for all situations, I'm remaining optimistic.

I arrived in Doha, the capital of this small peninsula state in the Gulf, eight weeks ago, leaving behind a wintry but picturesque Canterbury. My ambition: to start a vocational training company focused on improving levels of business performance and quality across a broad range of industries.

My immediate tasks; form a local company; obtain a Licence to Operate from the Supreme Education Council; organise some investment finance; find a base to operate from and recruit a team of people.

Five tasks - I've never really been the superstitious type.

In these occasional letters, I'll report on my progress, but also paint a picture of what it's like to be part of the business community here. There's plenty happening - even Gordon Ramsay opened a new "caff" last month - and, like his cuisine, the environment is a fusion of Arab, Asian, African and European cultures.

Unlike Dubai, which caught a cold this winter over its property debt, Qatar is aiming for a more diverse economic and social model. The Emir opened one of the world's largest aluminium plants last week, while his second wife was in London signing a deal with Bloomsbury to translate books into Arabic and create a partnership with the Royal Society for scientific collaboration.

Here in dusty Doha, there's the expected heat; noisy construction; appalling driving; idiosyncratic bureaucracy and hilarious communication difficulties. There's also a strong sense of the importance of the family in all private and public affairs and the duty to safeguard and develop children.

Qatar is a place that is not "home" for the majority of people who are here, and since there is no definable indigenous culture with which to identify, most people continue to live in their communities and carry on with their customs.

That provides a colourful and intriguing mix of food, music, clothes and language to absorb when on any excursion, business or pleasure. It also presents business challenges, especially when searching for good quality staff, in an economic environment which is a far cry from chilly UK.

Qatar is renowned for its oil and gas production. It holds over five per cent of the world's known total gas reserves, which, for a country about the same size as Kent, geographically and in terms of population, means that its GDP per capita is either number 1 or 2 in the world depending on whether you believe the IMF or the World Bank.

The government has just announced its annual budget - a refreshing event which dealt with finance rather than political flannel - declaring a capital investment programme of over $21.4bn with a predicted surplus of $2.67bn. That's all based on a modest price for oil of under $80 a barrel. Keep an eye of your petrol pump over the coming months to predict whether that surplus goes up or down.

Qatar has a 2030 Vision which talks of the need to invest those enormous proceeds from carbon into a sustainable business and social model. The rhetoric is impressive and the desire to feed off global experts on the subject is ravenous. In my experience, there's never a shortage of good ideas or money, the usual problem is the skills and expertise to deliver action. That's the backdrop to my new venture, the Qatar Skills Academy, so wish me luck in defeating the rule of fives.