Bei geplanten Projekten zur wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung des Landes werden vorrangig die Bereiche Gesundheit, Bildung und Verkehr berücksichtigt, so Finanzminister Ali Sharif.
Qatar to prioritise health, education and transport projects
Qatar is proceeding with planned economic development projects despite
cheaper oil and is prioritising those related to health, education and
transport, finance minister Ali Sharif Al Emmadi said on Sunday.
"Despite
the drop in oil prices, we are still going ahead with our planned projects," Al
Emmadi said in a speech.
"We will give priority to projects related to
health, education, infrastructure, transportation including rail, and projects
related to the 2022 World Cup," he said.
Qatar will host the global soccer
tournament.
A financial system law issued by the emir earlier this month
gives the finance ministry more authority to prioritise development projects and
enlist the aid of other government councils and ministries, in an apparent
effort to reduce red tape and waste, and avoid corruption.
Qatari
officials have said they planned to spend as much as about $200 billion (Dh734.6
billion) on transport, electricity generation, water supply, housing and other
projects between 2013 and 2018.
The plunge of oil and natural gas prices
since mid-2014 has hurt Qatar's state finances, and there are signs that
spending has become more cautious; some projects are being delayed or cut back.
In January, state-owned Qatar Petroleum and Shell said they had decided not to
proceed with the $6.4 billion Al Karaana petrochemical project in
Qatar.
Nevertheless, the world's largest gas exporter is so wealthy that
economists think it will be able to keep spending heavily; a Reuters poll of
analysts in January found them predicting Qatar would continue running a budget
surplus in 2015 and 2016.