meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Read the November 2022 MEED Business Review

31 October 2022

Download / Subscribe 

On 20 November, football’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar kicks off. The month-long tournament is the world’s most-watched single event. Football’s governing body expects 5 billion people to tune into this year’s tournament, up from 3.57 billion for the 2018 edition, which Russia hosted.

The event will confirm the Middle East region’s position as a global sporting hub. Over the past two decades, billions of dollars have been spent on infrastructure for sporting events including athletics, golf, motorsports, boxing and martial arts, swimming, football, cricket and an old regional favourite, horse racing. 

These events have boosted the economic visions of the region’s leaders by giving projects an international profile and, in the case of deadlines, a firm completion date. On the more societal level, they open up countries to tourism and allow nations to showcase their hospitality.   

More is coming. In 2020, Doha and Riyadh were picked to host upcoming editions of the Asian Games in 2030 and 2034. More recently, the Trojena mountain resort in the northwest of Saudi Arabia was selected to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games. 

Even bigger events could join the list. Egypt has confirmed it will bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games, and there are reports of a joint bid for football’s 2036 World Cup by Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Greece. 

MEED’s November 2022 edition of MEED Business Review discusses the important role that sport plays in the region’s social and economic development, and the spending required to build new venues and sporting facilities.

Climate, construction and the environment are all challenges that lie ahead for Saudi Arabia's 2029 Asian Winter Games, writes MEED editor Colin Foreman. Read more

November’s 19-page Market Focus on the UAE, meanwhile, finds the UAE working hard to maintain its economic winning streak and avoid the growing number of political and economic pitfalls in the world’s geopolitically fraught and recession-threatened business landscape.

This month, MEED also presents a special report on project finance and public-private partnerships (PPPs). 

After a year of sluggish project spending in 2021, the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region has witnessed an uptick in activity in the past year, driving renewed demand for project financing.

This comes as a boon for arrangers, yet is not without challenges.

We hope you enjoy the November 2022 edition of MEED Business Review.

 

Must-read sections in the November 2022 edition of MEED Business Review include:

> AGENDA: Region pitches to be global sporting hub

> TROJENA: Saudi winter games challenges perceptions

> BIG INTERVIEW: Sultan Batterjee, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s IHCC

> OPINION: Gulf stands to benefit from global turmoil

> MEED COMMENTS: 

    > Global oil price to sustain project activity

    > Energy firms step up renewable investments

> MONTHLY BRIEFING: 20 key developments in the region

> EGYPT/TUNISIA: Cairo and Tunis battle external pressures

> IRAQ/TURKIYE: Baghdad-Ankara relations remain rocky 

> PROJECT FINANCE & PPP REPORT:

    > Project finance activity tests regional capacity

    > PPP market cools, but remains strong

> ABU DHABI REAL ESTATE: Taking Abu Dhabi’s success global

> INTERVIEW: Abdulrahman Abdulla al-Seiari, CEO of Adnoc Drilling

> AGRI-TECH: Riad Bsaibes, president and CEO of Amana Investments

> ENERGY TRANSITION: Energy transition faces litmus test

> INTERVIEW: Acwa Power to halve carbon intensity

> UAE MARKET FOCUS: UAE sidesteps the global economic crunch

> MARKET SNAPSHOT: Egypt projects

> MARKET TALK: Ansaldo Energia expands Middle East presence

> GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf projects market returns to growth

> SEPTEMBER 2022 CONTRACTS: UAE records its biggest month of 2022

> BUSINESS OUTLOOK: Finance, oil and gas, construction, power and water contracts

To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/10119277/main.gif
Marianne Makdisi

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • WEBINAR: Mena Oil & Gas Projects Market 2025-26

    10 July 2025

    Register now

    Date & Time: Tuesday 29 July 2025 | 11:00 AM GST

    Agenda:

    1. Summary of the Mena oil, gas and petrochemicals projects market

    2. Summary description of the main megaprojects, including project programmes

    3. Analysis of active contracts and spending to date

    4. Analysis of top contracts by work already awarded

    5. Long-term capital expenditure outlays and forecasts

    6. Highlights of key contracts to be tendered and awarded over the next 18 months

    7. Top contractors and clients

    8. Breakdown of spending by segment, ie, oil, gas, petrochemicals – upstream, downstream, onshore and offshore

    9. Q&A session

    Click here to register

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14241705/main.gif
    Indrajit Sen
  • New Murabba signs up South Korean firm for design works

    10 July 2025

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Saudi Arabia’s New Murabba Development Company (NMDC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with South Korea’s Heerim Architects & Planners to explore further design works on assets at the 14 square-kilometre New Murabba downtown project.

    According to an official statement: “Heerim Architects & Planners will explore distinctive architectural plans that complement the development’s masterplan, with special focus on anchor assets, linear parks and smart city features.”

    New Murabba CEO Michael Dyke signed the agreement last week during the company’s Investment and Partnership Forum in Seoul.

    At the event, NMDC also signed an MoU with South Korea’s Naver Cloud Corporation to explore technological solutions for delivering the New Murabba downtown project.

    According to an official statement: “The three-year agreement covers exploring innovative technology and automation to support the delivery of New Murabba, including robotics, autonomous vehicles, a smart city platform and digital solutions for monitoring construction progress.”

    NMDC is in Seoul to examine technological offerings, assess financing options and showcase the investment opportunities available for the New Murabba downtown development.

    The statement added that the excavation works for The Mukaab, the centrepiece of the overall development, have now been completed.

    The Mukaab is a Najdi-inspired landmark that will be one of the largest buildings in the world. It will be 400 metres high, 400 metres wide and 400 metres long. Internally, it will have a tower on top of a spiral base and a structure featuring 2 million square metres (sq m) of floor space designated for hospitality. It will feature commercial spaces, cultural and tourist attractions, residential and hotel units, and recreational facilities.

    Downtown destination

    The New Murabba destination will have a total floor area of more than 25 million sq m and feature more than 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms and over 980,000 sq m of retail space.

    The scheme will include 1.4 million sq m of office space, 620,000 sq m of leisure facilities and 1.8 million sq m of space dedicated to community facilities.

    The project will be developed around the concept of sustainability and will include green spaces and walking and cycling paths to promote active lifestyles and community activities.

    The living, working and entertainment facilities will be developed within a 15-minute walking radius. The area will use an internal transport system and will be about a 20-minute drive from the airport.

    The downtown area will feature a museum, a technology and design university, an immersive, multipurpose theatre, and more than 80 entertainment and cultural venues.

    READ THE JULY 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    UAE and Turkiye expand business links; Renewed hope lies on the horizon for trouble-beset Levant region; Gulf real estate momentum continues even as concerns emerge

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the July 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

    > PROJECTS MARKET: GCC projects market collapses
    > GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf projects index continues climb
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14239016/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Chinese firm wins Mid Island Parkway tunnelling deal

    10 July 2025

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Beijing-headquartered China Railway Tunnel Engineering Group has won a $60m subcontract for the tunnelling works on package 1B of the Mid Island Parkway project in Abu Dhabi.

    Package 1B entails the construction of a cut-and-cover tunnel to cross the Khor Laffan Channel, which is the area between the Saadiyat and Um-Yifeenah islands.

    The tunnel, which will be between 900 metres and 1 kilometre (km) long, is being constructed on a design-and-build basis and will tie in to packages 1A and 1C.

    The project is being jointly constructed by a joint venture of local firm Yas Projects (Alpha Dhabi Holding) and Beijing-based China Railway International Group.

    In June last year, MEED exclusively reported that Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipality & Transport had awarded contracts for three packages for phase one of the Mid Island Parkway Project (MIPP), as part of the Plan Capital urban evolution programme.

    Phase one will start at the existing Saadiyat Interchange, which will connect the E12 road to the MIPP, and will end with the recently constructed Um-Yifeenah Highway. 

    It comprises a dual main road with a total length of 8km, including four traffic lanes in each direction, two interchanges, a tunnel and associated infrastructure works. 

    MIPP phase one is further divided into packages 1A, 1B and 1C, which were awarded separately.

    The project ownership has been transferred from Aldar Properties to Abu Dhaibi's Department of Municipalities & Transport.

    Previously, it was transferred from Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada) to Aldar Properties, and the project was included in the Abu Dhabi Investment Office's public-private partnership project pipeline.

    READ THE JULY 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    UAE and Turkiye expand business links; Renewed hope lies on the horizon for trouble-beset Levant region; Gulf real estate momentum continues even as concerns emerge

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the July 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

    > PROJECTS MARKET: GCC projects market collapses
    > GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf projects index continues climb
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14238039/main3047.gif
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Iraq tenders Baghdad airport PPP project

    9 July 2025

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Iraq’s Ministry of Transport and the General Company for Airport & Air Navigation Services have released a tender inviting firms to bid for a contract to develop Baghdad International airport on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.

    The notice was issued in July, and the submission deadline is in September.

    According to an official statement posted on its website, Iraq’s Ministry of Transport said that 10 out of 14 international consortiums that expressed interest in the project earlier this year have been prequalified to compete for the tender.

    The scope of the estimated $400m-$600m project involves rehabilitating, expanding, financing, operating and maintaining the airport. It is the first airport PPP project to be launched in Iraq.

    The initial capacity of the airport is expected to be around 9 million passengers, which will be gradually increased to 15 million passengers.

    The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is the project’s lead transaction adviser.

    Iraq is already developing the Baghdad and Najaf-Karbala metro projects using a similar PPP model.

    Earlier this month, MEED reported that Iraq intends to retender the contract to develop and operate the Baghdad Metro project, following the award of the estimated $2.5bn contract last year.

    According to local media reports, Nasser Al-Assadi, adviser to Prime Minister Mohammed Sudani, stated that the previous developers had overestimated the project budget; therefore, the government will relaunch the entire process to implement the project.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14229008/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Contractors prepare revised bids for Roshn stadium

    9 July 2025

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Saudi gigaproject developer Roshn has invited firms to submit revised commercial proposals by 24 July for a contract to build a new stadium adjacent to the National Guard facilities to the southwest of Riyadh.

    Known as the National Guard Stadium, it will be delivered on an early contractor involvement (ECI) basis. It will cover an area of over 450,000 square metres and be able to accommodate 46,000 spectators.

    The scope of work also covers the construction of auxiliary facilities, including training academy offices and two hotels, as well as retail and food and beverage outlets.

    The firms had initially submitted bids on 8 April for the contract.

    The stadium is scheduled to host 32 Fifa World Cup tournament games in 2034.

    In August last year, MEED reported that Saudi Arabia plans to build 11 new stadiums as part of its bid to host the 2034 Fifa World Cup.

    Eight stadiums will be located in Riyadh, four in Jeddah and one each in Al-Khobar, Abha and Neom.

    The proposal outlines an additional 10 cities that will host training bases. These are Al-Baha, Jazan, Taif, Medina, Al-Ula, Umluj, Tabuk, Hail, Al-Ahsa and Buraidah.

    The bid proposes 134 training sites across the kingdom, including 61 existing facilities and 73 new training venues.

    The kingdom was officially selected to host the 2034 Fifa World Cup through an online convention of Fifa member associations at the Fifa congress on 11 December 2024.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14228507/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal