Qatar plans $38.5 billion infrastructure pipeline and $22.5 billion private investment push

Qatar plans to launch approximately $38.5 billion in new infrastructure projects over the next five years, including public-private partnerships, alongside a further $22.5 billion pipeline of real estate and hospitality projects expected to attract private investment.

The plans were announced by Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the Qatar Economic Forum in New York, where he also unveiled Doha Investment, a dedicated platform to manage and grow the Qatar Investment Authority’s (QIA) domestic portfolio. Together, the infrastructure and private investment opportunities represent more than $60 billion over five years.

Doha Investment will focus on expanding private-sector participation, supporting established companies and helping emerging businesses grow, while also seeking to deepen Qatar’s capital markets and attract international investment and expertise.

“It will support our strongest companies, help emerging businesses grow, deepen capital markets and attract international capital and expertise to contribute to this effort,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

The new platform will initially oversee 45 state-owned enterprises, representing roughly one-third of QIA’s assets, according to Reuters. The $580 billion sovereign wealth fund will continue investing internationally, while Doha Investment will serve as the dedicated manager of its domestic portfolio.

The portfolio includes major Qatari companies such as Qatar National Bank, Qatar Airways, Ooredoo, Qatari Diar and Katara Hospitality. The new division will also support the development of national companies, privatization efforts and greater private-sector participation in the economy.

The investment push comes as Qatar seeks to strengthen domestic economic activity amid disruption caused by the regional conflict and restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Sheikh Mohammed described the impact of the conflict as an “earthquake” whose effects extended beyond the region.

Qatar’s LNG sector has also been affected. An Iranian strike on Ras Laffan damaged infrastructure and put around 17% of Qatar’s LNG export capacity out of operation, according to reporting cited in the original announcement. Repairs to some facilities are expected to take years.

Despite the disruption, Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar would maintain its longer-term investment plans.

“We do not underestimate the uncertainty ahead,” he said. “But we will not allow short-term disruption to determine our long-term direction.”

The new domestic investment strategy also comes as Qatar seeks to attract more private capital into infrastructure and other growth sectors. The government said the infrastructure pipeline will include PPP projects, while the real estate and hospitality program includes the $5.8 billion Simaisma Beach development.

Alongside the economic measures, Qatar has continued diplomatic efforts to mediate between the US and Iran. Sheikh Mohammed said Gulf states should work together to restore regional stability, while Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said mediators were continuing to exchange proposals between the two sides.