As part of a wider tour through the Gulf region, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) made its second stop in Qatar on 23 April 2025. The delegation, led by H.E. Hendrik Wüst, Minister-President of NRW, included a high-level group of 18 business representatives from a wide range of sectors including energy, education, logistics, and industry.
AHK Qatar was proud to co-organize two high-level roundtables, each tailored to advance private sector collaboration and institutional dialogue between Qatar and NRW - Germany’s largest industrial region and a hub for innovation and export.
The first roundtable, held in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, brought together government officials, investment institutions, and key stakeholders from both sides and focused on Strategic Dialogue. The event was inaugurated by H.E. Dr. Ahmad Al-Sayed, Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs, and featured welcome remarks from Mr. Thomas Triller, Deputy Head of Mission, German Embassy Doha; Dr. Martin Henkelmann, CEO of AHK Qatar as well as Mr. Marcel Grathwohl, Chief of Staff to Minister-President Wüst. Presentations from Invest Qatar, Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), Qatar Development Bank (QDB), and the Qatar Free Zones Authority highlighted Qatar’s evolving investment ecosystem. In return, Felix Neugart, CEO of NRW.Global Business, offered insights into NRW’s economic strengths and global investment appeal. The session concluded with open discussions setting the tone for future engagement between both markets.
The second roundtable was hosted under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and co-chaired by Minister-President Wüst, shifted the focus to Private Sector Partnerships. This session provided a platform for direct dialogue between Qatari business leaders and German CEOs from the NRW delegation. Discussions focused on bilateral investments, institutional networking, export promotion and green economy collaboration. The event concluded with valuable one-on-one exchanges between decision-makers.
These events underscored the growing momentum in Qatar–NRW relations, grounded in shared priorities such as innovation, sustainability, and economic diversification. We look forward to continuing this dialogue and translating it into concrete partnerships ahead.