International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, which has MENA regional offices in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), on Monday hosted a seminar, entitled “Rebuilding Iraq”, to highlight the challenges and opportunities of doing business in the country.
Erin Miller Rankin, senior associate at Freshfields in Dubai, the seminar organiser, said: “Iraq presents many opportunities for contractors and other project stakeholders. It has significant infrastructure needs across many sectors and has the potential to fund development due to its oil and gas reserves.
“Given that the security situation in Iraq has stabilised somewhat, and more businesses and individuals are actively considering investment there, we organised the seminar to provide a forum of expert information and advice for them to find out more about the current situation and opportunities in Iraq.”
The seminar focused on economic growth in Iraq, current and future opportunities for construction and infrastructure stakeholders, as well as examining some of the challenges faced by those currently operating in or looking to enter the construction market in Iraq.
The topics the forum discussed covered the current commercial climate in Iraq, and economic indicators, broken down into regions. It also focused on life on the ground in Iraq, including the practical realities and challenges of project delivery. Hot button topics such as local law issues relevant to companies setting up or undertaking projects in Iraq in addition to tips on contract drafting for Iraq projects, were dealt with.
Achmed Al-Shahrabani, a partner at Management Partners, Akram Ogaily, senior vice president and technical Core Team director at Hill International along with Justin Niswander, an attorney based in Iraq with TRC joined the Freshfields Bruckhause Deringer associates in sharing their knowledge on the current investment and operating environment in Iraq.
