Iraq Declares 2025 The Year Of Industry.. Will Its Decisions Succeed?
The Prime Minister’s Advisor, Hamoudi Al-Lami, confirmed that the Iraqi government has placed the industrial sector at the top of its priorities within its government program, announcing that 2025 will be the year of industry in Iraq.
Al-Lami explained that the Prime Minister’s visit to Iraqi factories came to reflect the serious trend towards promoting national industry, pointing out that the Council of Ministers issued an unprecedented package of decisions to support this sector, including providing sovereign guarantees to the private sector that were previously limited to the government sector only, with the aim of establishing new production lines and modern factories.
He added that the government seeks to reduce dependence on oil revenues by exploiting the assets that Iraq possesses, such as raw materials, industrial expertise and the local market, stressing that the Council of Ministers reduced customs duties to levels close to zero, and provided soft loans with low interest to support the expansion of existing factories and the establishment of new ones.
Al-Lami pointed out that the government is working on establishing integrated industrial cities that will be offered to developers to provide the necessary services, noting the Prime Minister’s directive on the necessity of submitting applications to protect local products when achieving 50% market coverage, in line with the National Product Protection Law by imposing additional fees or preventing the import of competing goods.
Al-Lami also stressed that the government is keen on coordination between factories and farmers, especially in the food sectors, stressing the importance of supporting local agricultural production to provide factory supplies, such as dairy products and their derivatives.
At the end of his speech, Al-Lami announced the government’s plans to restore the production of fertilizers, petrochemicals and other products that have been absent from the Iraqi market for years, stressing that periodic meetings will be held with industrialists to address challenges and achieve comprehensive industrial development.
With these steps, the government seeks to transform Iraq into an integrated industrial country, capable of achieving self-sufficiency and reducing dependence on imports, which will enhance the country’s economy and achieve prosperity for citizens.
Iraq is among the top five Arab countries in gold reserves, with more than a thousand tons.
The World Gold Council announced on Saturday that the central banks in five Arab countries have gold reserves exceeding one thousand tons out of 100 countries listed in the table of the largest gold reserves in the world.
According to the latest schedule published by the Council in 2025, which Shafak News Agency reviewed, “the central banks in the top five Arab countries have gold reserves amounting to 1,082 tons.”
The Council explained that “Saudi Arabia leads the Arab countries in terms of the largest gold reserves, as it possesses 323.1 tons, followed by Lebanon with 286.8 tons, then Algeria in third place with 173.6 tons, and Iraq in fourth place with 152.7 tons, while Libya came in fifth place with 146.7 tons.”
The Council pointed out that “the United States of America leads the world in the largest gold holdings, as it owns 8,133.5 tons, followed by Germany with 3,351.5 tons, then Italy with 2,451 tons, while Haiti came at the bottom of the list with 1.8 tons.”
The Council also explained that “the total gold reserves in the world amount to 36,165 tons, of which 10,770 tons represent the reserves of the euro zone.”
The World Gold Council, headquartered in the United Kingdom, has extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of the factors affecting the gold market, and its members include the world’s largest and most advanced gold mining companies.
More than a billion dollars.. Iraqi currency auction sales in 4 days
The total sales of hard currency in US dollars by the Central Bank of Iraq during the four days of last week, when the auction was opened, amounted to more than one billion dollars.
Shafaq News Agency correspondent stated that the Central Bank sold during the past week and for the 4 days in which the auction was opened, one billion, 164 million, 440 thousand, and 93 dollars, at a daily rate of 291 million, 110 thousand, and 23 dollars, lower than what it recorded last week, in which the selling rate was 292 million, 133 million, and 684 dollars.
The highest dollar sales were on Sunday, when sales reached 297 million, 78 thousand, and 208 dollars, while the lowest sales were on Thursday, when sales reached 286 million, 341 thousand, and 575 dollars.
Our correspondent said that foreign remittance sales during the past week amounted to 1 billion, 98 million, 890 thousand and 93 dollars, compared to cash sales which amounted to 65 million, 650 thousand dollars.
The bank opened its auction last week over four days: Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with official working hours on Monday due to Army Day.
Kirkuk Airport is close to being listed as an international airport within two months
Kirkuk International Airport Administration announced today, Saturday, that a committee from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will visit the airport with the aim of inspecting it and including it in the list of international airports within the next two months.
The airport’s media spokesman, Hardi Al-Salihi, told Shafak News Agency, “Kirkuk International Airport will soon be on the list of international airports after a committee from the ICAO and another committee from the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority conducted a field visit to the airport and reviewed the equipment that has been completed.”
Al-Salihi added that “the airport’s night runway is now ready in terms of lighting, the presence of night monitors, in addition to other equipment that the organization has completed reviewing and documenting,” indicating that “the committee praised the international standards applied at the airport.”
He explained that “the airport operates daily flights to a number of international airports in neighboring countries, and with its inclusion in the international list, the airport will be able to increase the number of flights to other airports around the world after completing the required administrative procedures within the next two months.”
Al-Salihi pointed out that “the airport includes an outlet for delivering currencies to travelers through a company that has been contracted to provide travelers with dollars according to the official price,” explaining that “the airport is witnessing a great turnout from travelers coming from the governorates adjacent to Kirkuk.”
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), founded on April 4, 1947, is a United Nations agency and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
The organization is concerned with developing the foundations and techniques of air navigation, ensuring the safety and security of air transport, regulating transit operations between countries, and establishing systems for investigating air accidents.
Al-Sudani counts on tourism to be a major source of non-oil economy in Iraq
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani considered, today, Saturday, that tourism could turn into a basic source in the country’s non-oil economy.
This came during his chairing of a meeting devoted to presenting a package of tourism projects planned to be established in the capital, Baghdad, and the rest of the governorates, according to a statement issued by Al-Sudani’s media office.
The statement quoted Al-Sudani as saying that tourism and its components are available in Iraq, and it can be transformed into a basic source in the non-oil economy, with the availability of opportunities, local need, and the desire of citizens to benefit from and enjoy modern, advanced, and environmentally friendly tourism facilities. It also represents a gateway to expanding the elements of attraction for incoming tourism from abroad.
He pointed out the importance of investing in the opportunity of choosing Baghdad as the Arab Tourism Capital for the year 2025, building attractive tourist and entertainment facilities and installations, overcoming bureaucratic obstacles, and creating more suitable conditions to attract foreign investment in this sector.
The statement added that Al-Sudani directed to work on maturing tourism projects and offering them as a single package, especially since developing this sector will contribute to strengthening and diversifying the national economy by activating vital sectors, including the tourism sector, which the government is keen to activate for the next stage, based on its government program.
According to the statement, the meeting approved inviting a Spanish company specialized in tourism development to put projects related to this sector on track, as well as to develop the capabilities of specialized tourism cadres and keep pace with the latest developments witnessed by this sector globally.
21 tourism projects were also reviewed, including hotels, resorts, sustainable forests, cities and entertainment complexes in Baghdad and various governorates, which provide attractions, infrastructure and economic feasibility, according to the statement.
