MEED
Issue No 15 10 - 16 April 2009
View all stories from this issue.
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Abu Dhabi opens bidding for Ruwais deals
State-owned refining company tenders management and construction contracts for expansion project. -
Baghdad back in business
International firms are seeking opportunities in Iraq as security improves and the GCC projects market slows. -
Bidding starts on major Saudi housing project
China’s Norinco enters lowest price of SR17bn for the construction of 17,000 villas across 11 sites. -
Cairo reviews growth predictions
While the Egyptian authorities have lowered their growth targets for this year, with two $2.7bn fiscal stimulus packages announced and strong fundamentals, the country is well placed for the recovery. -
Cairo's technology focus begins to pay off
Cairo’s investment in education and IT infrastructure is helping to establish Egypt as a global outsourcing centre and attracting some of the world’s leading technology companies to its Smart Village complex. -
Cleaning up Egypt's bourse
Egypt’s stock exchange has undergone a series of changes over the past year with the aim of boosting liquidity and improving trading efficiency. -
Contract awards fall in UAE as developers put schemes on hold
The value of construction contract awards in the UAE fell sharply in the first quarter of 2009, according to data from Gulf projects tracker MEED Projects. -
Contractors struggle to secure bid bonds in Kuwait
Banks’ demands for increasingly large deposits are stopping firms bidding for major projects. -
Dubai Properties to revive Sama projects
State-backed developer set to merge with sister company after taking over its management. -
Emirates NBD
The UAE-based bank is increasingly focusing on Islamic finance, one of its fastest-growing businesses. -
Emirates NBD: MEED Assessment
Dubai’s economy remains under pressure and the emirate’s largest bank will find it difficult to escape the impact of the downturn -
Emirates prequalifies bidders for nuclear power programme
Contract to build UAE’s first nuclear power plant to be awarded in third quarter. -
Emirates sets the nuclear standard
The UAE’s atomic agency expects to award a contract for the first facility before the end of this year. -
Firms line up for second phase of Petro-Rabigh expansion
Eight international engineering firms will submit bids for a combined design and management contract on the second-phase expansion of the Japanese/Saudi Petro-Rabigh petrochemicals complex on the Red Sea coast. -
Galfar bids low for Nimr gas contract in Oman
Oman’s Galfar Engineering & Contracting has submitted the lowest price for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract covering a gas compressor station at Nimr in the north of the sultanate. -
Growing Egyptian deficit is necessary
The sectors that are the main foreign currency earners have suffered a steep decline in revenues. -
Gulf construction salaries plummet as projects slow
The salaries of staff working on construction sites across the Gulf fell by up to 15 per cent in the first quarter of this year, according to figures from UK-based construction consultant Davis Langdon. -
Improving Cairo's investment climate
The government’s reform programme has helped Egypt weather the global financial crisis, but with foreign direct investment falling off, Cairo is seeking ways to attract further funds. -
Improving Cairo's investment climate
The government’s reform programme has helped Egypt weather the global financial crisis, but with foreign direct investment falling off, Cairo is seeking ways to attract further funds. -
Interview: Youssef Boutros-Ghali
The Egyptian finance minister is planning a series of public-private partnership schemes to attract international investment and stimulate economic growth. -
Islamic banks fill funding gap for regional projects
As conventional financial institutions struggle with liquidity problems, sharia-compliant banks are increasingly being called upon to provide finance for major projects throughout the region. -
Jordan changes strategy on Amman to Zarqa rail project
Contract with winning consortium is cancelled following failure to raise funds. -
Kuwait to spend $11.2bn on power and water schemes
Tenders to be issued by the end of the year for plants to add 6,700MW of capacity. -
Maaden to split aluminium project
Smelter to be built at Ras al-Zour first, with refinery and bauxite mine at Zubairah to follow in 12 months. -
Marafiq to increase desalination capacity at Yanbu plant
Power & Water Utility Company for Jubail & Yanbu (Marafiq) will increase the desalination capacity of the Yanbu independent water and power project (IWPP) plant to 143 million gallons a day (g/d), according to local sources. -
Project market will find a floor in Dubai
The injection of $10bn in cash from its sovereign bond issue has bought Dubai some room for manoeuvre. -
Risk must be acceptable in Iraq
The elements that seek to divide Iraq will not be eradicated overnight. Companies accept that Iraq is a high-risk, high-return market. -
Riyadh fast-tracks gas field development
Bidding for engineering and design is expected by October as kingdom struggles to meet demand. -
Saudi Aramco pushes ahead with Yanbu
Prequalified contractors will be invited to submit bids for construction of the $12bn export refinery by May. -
Saudi power developers
The six main igures leading Saudi Arabia’s electricity generation projects are: Saad Hariri, Eric Lecesne, Yousef Alireza, Paddy Padmanathan, Walid Basoudan and Fareed al-Yagout. -
Saudia opens talks over merger
Saudia Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has opened negotiations with local and international groups, with the aim of merging its ground handling business with another company in the sector. -
Special Report: Egypt - Government lowers economic forecasts
Egypt already has a good track record of putting in place the right policies to attract international investors. It now needs to continue to innovate to regain the foreign direct investment lost as a result of the downturn. -
Trends: Gulf finance hubs gain ground
Regional financial centres have held up well amid economic uncertainty. -
Trends: Gulf finance hubs gain ground
Regional financial centres have held up well amid economic uncertainty. -
Wary Kuwaiti lenders will limit bidding pool
Kuwait’s banks are now asking contractors to deposit the full amount of the required bonds. -
Zain to seek $2.5bn for Saudi expansion
Kuwait’s Zain will attempt to raise about $2.5bn by June this year to finance the development of its network in Saudi Arabia, and refinance existing debt.
