Latest news with #IraqBritainBusinessCouncil
Iraq Business
4 days ago
- Business
- Iraq Business
Al Fajer Group Joins IBBC
By John Lee. Iraq's Al Fajer Group has joined the Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC). Operating from offices in Basra and London, the company supports oil and gas operations with a strong focus on the Rumaila oil field. It delivers a wide range of technical and administrative services, including Electrical & Instrumentation (E&I), ICT & Security, HSE, Finance, HR, and Operations. Omar A. Sahib, Managing Director of Al Fajer UK Ltd, stated: "We are delighted to be joining the IBBC and becoming part of a community of private businesses that support the Iraqi economy." IBBC Managing Director Christophe Michels welcomed the move, adding: "IBBC welcomes high capability companies like Al Fajer, who not only bring state-of-the-art electrical technologies to Iraq but also work closely with our community, including BP and Shell, to enhance technical performance." This development follows the signing of a master agreement between Iraq and the UK in January 2025, creating new opportunities for energy collaboration. (Source: IBBC)
Iraq Business
18-06-2025
- Business
- Iraq Business
Al Marafaa joins IBBC
By John Lee. The Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) has announced that Basra-based Al Marafaa has joined IBBC as a member. According to a statement, the company specialises in delivering advanced Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions tailored to the unique needs of the international oil and gas industry in Basra, Iraq. It says leading companies like BP, Shell, ENI, KEC, and Total place their trust in Al Marafaa to provide their highly critical internet connectivity, secure their facilities and/or networks, and deliver highly time-sensitive basecamps overseas to them. Al-Marafaa also agreed a strategic research and development partnership with Iraq's Southern Technical University, where collaboration will focus on specific areas of research, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data analytics. Al Marafaa will also train and hire young engineers in their final year to work in the company. Christophe Michels, MD of IBBC said: "We are delighted to welcome Al Marafaa to our membership as they bring strong ITC expertise to the members and Iraq. They will be able to contribute to our education and skills group, as well as the Tech Forum and Energy group. It's interesting to note the growing technology capability of Iraqi companies among our members, which is a strong indicator of modern technical expertise developing within Iraq." Ridha A. Almosawi, General Manager of Al Marafaa said: "Al Marafaa has been working with many of IBBC's members, so we are delighted to be joining as a member among friends and to extend our network capabilities to new sectors and clients in Iraq." (Source: IBBC)
Iraq Business
17-06-2025
- Business
- Iraq Business
IBBC appoints new Baghdad Office Manager
From the Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC): IBBC appoints Ali Mashkour as its new Baghdad Office Manager. Ali Mashkour joins IBBC from member company MHD International. He is Iraqi British and has been based in Baghdad for the past ten years, working in projects across infrastructure, security, transport and government sectors, managing multi-disciplinary teams and engaging senior stakeholders across both public and private sectors. In his new role, Ali will work in the Baghdad and Erbil offices, supporting members and the organisation's overall objectives and with our Honorary Member Representative Mohammed Alsaadi and our Honorary Representative for Kurdistan and the South of Iraq, Dr Ali Jawad. Christophe Michels, MD of IBBC said: "We are pleased to welcome Ali Mashkour to our team, knowing he has to fill the sad gap that Muhanad Khattab left when he died last month, we have every expectation Ali will bring us new energy and insights to the role, which is of increasing importance to IBBC as our Iraqi membership rapidly grows and are holding more events and conferences in the country." Ali can be contacted at [email protected]
Iraq Business
12-06-2025
- Business
- Iraq Business
Iraqi Private Sector Faces Four Key Challenges, Says Professor
By John Lee. The Iraqi private sector confronts significant obstacles that must be addressed to unlock the country's economic potential, according to Professor Frank Gunter of Lehigh University, speaking at the Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) Spring Conference in London recently. Professor Gunter identified four critical challenges hampering private enterprise development in Iraq: Finance: Iraqi businesses struggle to access basic financial services including cross-country bill payments and funding. "The first source of funds is family, not a bank, not a loan, not a venture capitalist," Professor Gunter noted, emphasising that this reliance on family financing must change for sustainable growth. Education: The country faces challenges in both quantity and quality of education. Iraq had been making progress in reducing illiteracy until ISIS disrupted educational systems between 2014 and 2017, forcing many out of schools and creating refugee populations. The professor stressed the need to eliminate illiteracy, particularly among older workers, whilst improving educational quality to meet private sector demands for engineers and scientifically-trained personnel rather than bureaucrats. Infrastructure: Basic infrastructure remains deficient, with Iraq lacking reliable 24-hour electricity despite two decades of substantial investment spending. Regulatory Environment: This emerged as perhaps the most damaging constraint. Professor Gunter cited a recent World Bank study examining 50 countries, which found Iraq ranking last among 16 nations with similar economic development levels for regulatory quality. Even when compared to all 50 countries studied-including those with lower development levels and nations experiencing civil wars-Iraq ranked 45th. The findings suggest substantial reform will be required across multiple sectors to create a conducive environment for private enterprise in Iraq.
Iraq Business
11-06-2025
- Business
- Iraq Business
Video: IBBC Tech Forum on AI
By John Lee. The Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) hosted a very informative Tech Forum on the topic of "How Tech and AI can benefit services and entrepreneurs in Iraq and internationally'", as part of its Spring Conference in London last week. The session was chaired by Ashley Goodall, and speakers included: William Page, Daniel Sawko, ShipShape Raman Salihi, SoftCell Professor Frank Gunter, Lehigh University James Wallman, World Experience Organisation Please click below to view the full webinar: (Source: IBBC)
