Dr. Al-Shaibei: Cardiff is one of Britain's most promising investment cities

     Delegation head Council Huw Thomas: Our visit to QIIB aims to enhance investment opportunities

A delegation from the Cardiff Council, which is County Council of the City and County of Cardiff, the capital of Wales in the UK, headed by councilor Huw Thomas visited the headquarters of the QIIB, where he met with the Bank’s CEO Dr Abdulbasit Ahmad al-Shaibei and a number of senior management executives.

The delegation also included Cardiff Council’s chief executive Paul Orders; director (economic development) Neil Hanratty; head (economic development) Ken Poole; and chair, Cardiff International Airport Roger Lewis.

During the meeting, the delegation made a presentation on Cardiff, the attractive opportunities the Welsh city provides investors, and the incentives being provided by Cardiff to companies and institutions to work and invest in the city, especially after Britain's proposed exit (Brexit) from the European Union.

Cardiff has a multi-million pounds portfolio of major projects in the pipeline. This is on top of the new business district in the city to the north and the south of Cardiff Central station.

As part of Cardiff Council administration’s Capital Ambition programme, a new vision is created for Cardiff Bay as a major leisure destination and it has plans for a new multi-purpose arena in the Bay.

"We welcome the visit of Cardiff's delegation to the Bank, and as you know, the relations between the State of Qatar and Britain are long, very well developed and economic cooperation in particular is strong and effective at all levels. At QIIB, we are happy to be a part of this," said Dr Abdulbasit Ahmad al-Shaibei and hoped this would further get strengthened.

"Cardiff is one of the most promising cities in Britain. First, is its proximity to London, and second, there are many companies that are moving to Cardiff, where there is a well-connected and good international airport. The prices are acceptable, and Cardiff’s population and economy are growing steadily.”

"We have noticed that a lot of financial institutions are moving to Cardiff, and new graduates prefer to work in the city to make use of the good opportunities as well as to enjoy a good standard of living. In addition, the infrastructure in the city is strong and there are many development projects, especially in relation to the train network, “he said.

"Qatar Airways' now offers direct daily flights to Cardiff and this has encouraged Qatari investors to invest in the city. We hope that an economic forum will be organised in Cardiff to introduce Qatari investors and businessmen to the opportunities available in the city," Dr Al-Shaibei added.

On his part, Cardiff Council leader Councillor Huw Thomas said,

“I spent a fantastic day here at the QIIB. We are a delegation from Cardiff, the capital city of Wales (Cardiff Council) in the UK to promote investment opportunities in that city.

“we have been welcomed here warmly. I am committed and excited about the deepening of opportunities between Cardiff and Doha and I looked forward to building on the fantastic meetings we have just been having.”

On the discussions he had at the QIIB and his expectations and hopes about the visit, Councillor Thomas said, “This is the first visit – the first of many visits, I hope. We discussed a number of possible investment projects that QIIB might be interested in getting behind. And we will be exchanging some information about those projects.”

Councillor Thomas said he has invited the top officials of the QIIB to visit Cardiff.

“We have a fantastic city and I looked forward to welcoming QIIB’s top team and indeed people from all over Qatar to Cardiff in the very near future.”