05/01/2025 

Management Partners attend the German Iraqi Kurdish Conference, Deutsch-Arabische Gesellschaft

Around 280 German, Kurdish and Iraqi participants from business and politics met on 6/7. September 2017 at the Congress Center Hannover to discuss investment and cooperation for the modernization of infrastructure in Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan.

The German-Iraqi-Kurdish Business and Investor Conference was the first of its kind, with more to follow. “Today marks the beginning of a long, fruitful and in-depth cooperation between the IHK Hannover and the AHK, and the German Business Office Iraq in Baghdad and Erbil, as well as the chambers in Iraq,” said host Dr. Horst Schrage, Chairman of the IHK Hannover and emphasized the importance of the cooperation with the AHK Erbil, which has been headed for one year by the Iraqi coordinator Nisrin Khalil. The conference venue Hannover was well-chosen, since there are very good relations with the Kurdish Chamber of Commerce and the investment authorities in Iraq. Economic relations are even a tradition, as former Lord Mayor Herbert Schmalstieg was particularly committed to Kurdistan, what the present Kurds remembered. The contacts continue to this day.

So many Kurdish ministers like Dr. Ali Sindi, Minister of Planning, Trade and Industry, Darbaz Kosrat Rasul, Minister of Reconstruction and Navroz Mawlod, Tourism Minister Surveys presents current and planned infrastructure projects in Iraqi Kurdistan and the opportunities for German entrepreneurs to get involved. The governors of both cities provided information on agricultural and infrastructure projects as well as master plans in Erbil and Dohuk, and industrial projects throughout the Kurdish region were presented by the Director-General of Industry and the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The first day ended with the area of vocational education. Above all, they were interested in agriculture and irrigation and in these areas Dr. Klaus Schroter, the Director-General of the Vocational Training Institute has his experience. RWANGA has partnered with Datan Q. Abdullah, director of RWANGA Foundation, which was founded in 2013 and has since completed 120 educational projects in Kurdistan and Iraq with nearly 1.3 million participants. Target groups are above all young people who are prepared for their professional future with the help of the most modern learning strategies, with special consideration of environmental aspects. RWANGA’s job fairs are supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics. The seat is Erbil, there are offices in Sulaimaniya and Dohuk. In addition to UNICEF, Microsoft and the German Association for International Cooperation (giz), RWANGA can look forward to supporting numerous other large companies and institutions. RWANGA has partnered with Datan Q. Abdullah, director of RWANGA Foundation, which was founded in 2013 and has since completed 120 educational projects in Kurdistan and Iraq with nearly 1.3 million participants. Target groups are above all young people who are prepared for their professional future with the help of the most modern learning strategies, with special consideration of environmental aspects. RWANGA’s job fairs are supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics. The seat is Erbil, there are offices in Sulaimaniya and Dohuk. In addition to UNICEF, Microsoft and the German Association for International Cooperation (giz), RWANGA can look forward to supporting numerous other large companies and institutions. RWANGA has partnered with Datan Q. Abdullah, director of RWANGA Foundation, which was founded in 2013 and has since completed 120 educational projects in Kurdistan and Iraq with nearly 1.3 million participants. Target groups are above all young people who are prepared for their professional future with the help of the most modern learning strategies, with special consideration of environmental aspects. RWANGA’s job fairs are supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics. The seat is Erbil, there are offices in Sulaimaniya and Dohuk. In addition to UNICEF, Microsoft and the German Association for International Cooperation (giz), RWANGA can look forward to supporting numerous other large companies and institutions. which was founded in 2013 and has since carried out 120 educational projects in Kurdistan and Iraq with almost 1.3 million participants. Target groups are above all young people who are prepared for their professional future with the help of the most modern learning strategies, with special consideration of environmental aspects. RWANGA’s job fairs are supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics. The seat is Erbil, there are offices in Sulaimaniya and Dohuk. In addition to UNICEF, Microsoft and the German Association for International Cooperation (giz), RWANGA can look forward to supporting numerous other large companies and institutions. which was founded in 2013 and has since carried out 120 educational projects in Kurdistan and Iraq with almost 1.3 million participants. Target groups are above all young people who are prepared for their professional future with the help of the most modern learning strategies, with special consideration of environmental aspects. RWANGA’s job fairs are supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics. The seat is Erbil, there are offices in Sulaimaniya and Dohuk. In addition to UNICEF, Microsoft and the German Association for International Cooperation (giz), RWANGA can look forward to supporting numerous other large companies and institutions. Prepared for their professional future with the help of state-of-the-art learning strategies, with special regard to environmental aspects. RWANGA’s job fairs are supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics. The seat is Erbil, there are offices in Sulaimaniya and Dohuk. In addition to UNICEF, Microsoft and the German Association for International Cooperation (giz), RWANGA can look forward to supporting numerous other large companies and institutions. Prepared for their professional future with the help of state-of-the-art learning strategies, with special regard to environmental aspects. RWANGA’s job fairs are supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics. The seat is Erbil, there are offices in Sulaimaniya and Dohuk. In addition to UNICEF, Microsoft and the German Association for International Cooperation (giz), RWANGA can look forward to supporting numerous other large companies and institutions.

Vocational training is also an important topic for Dipl.-Ing Friedrich Deppe, managing partner of the family business Agrarmarkt Deppe. The medium-sized company employs 120 people in Bad Lauterberg. “We want to sell used agricultural machinery to Kurdistan in the best condition. Existing contacts will be deepened during this event. We have made a special catalog for the machines. They are about 30-40 percent cheaper than new devices. Our plan is to have the Kurdish staff at Dr. Ing. To train Schröter in Germany “. – Peter F. Meyer, Managing Director of Terramar GmbH Hamburg can look back on many years of Iraq experience: “We have been active in Iraq since the early 1970s. Our company is located in Erbil. We supported the Goethe-Institut and represent MAN. From our central warehouse in Erbil, the entire Iraq is served. Since 2014, we have been involved in vocational training. After the “IS” is expelled, we see many other business opportunities. In order to identify new project we have founded the Experts Forum Iraq. Currently there are 25 German companies members. We want to organize a conference in Erbil with the aim to identify potential and do business “.

The second day was marked by podium discussions and workshops. Again and again the will was stressed to rebuild the areas destroyed by “IS”. “Now there is peace in Kurdistan and the investment projects in the areas of housing construction, rail transport, road transport and more include around 2 billion euros. Dr. Dara Alkhayat, Chairman of the Kurdistan Federation Chambers of Commerce assures German investors all support. Darar Zebari, Chairman of the Kurdistan Region Investment Union, refers to the Investment Act and emphasizes the same rights for domestic and foreign companies. “75 km outside of Dohuk, a special site is created exclusively for companies”.

Nisrin Khalil provides the following information: “Most German companies are currently awaiting the referendum. Three large German companies are planning investments of half a billion euros. The bilateral trade in 2013 amounted to 100 million euros, after the end of the “IS” this will improve, because the interest of German companies is large. The Iraqi government wants to invest 100 billion euros in the next 10 years, 10 percent are to be available for private companies, 90 percent flow into government projects. Already 500 million euros have flowed from Germany, France and Japan also give money, by the World Bank, it is 5.7 billion euros. German entrepreneurs express their wishes for more information from the Chambers of Commerce, including with regard to tenders. There is a round of talks for German companies.