The Cabinet holds its regular session headed by Abadi

[Butifldrm]

The Council of Ministers holds its regular session chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Haider Abadi
			1 April 2018 The Council of Ministers held its regular session Sunday, April 1, 2018, chaired by the Prime Minister Dr. Haider Abadi.  The Council of Ministers hosted the members of the Board of Commissioners and the directors of the Independent High Electoral Commission offices in Baghdad and the governorates.  During the lengthy session to discuss the following: - 1. Preparations for the distribution of voter cards. 2. How to prevent the sale of cards or manipulate them (procedures and safeguards) and close all gaps. 3. Needs of the Electoral Commission. 4. The distribution of cards, especially in Nineveh, Anbar and Salahuddin governorates.  The Council of Ministers decided to confirm the competent authorities in coordination with the Electoral Commission for the elections to take the necessary legal measures against any person who is the process of selling and buying the electoral card or use of the person granted to him or the person to change the will of the voter or deliberately the person to vote in the name of others as they constitute crimes punishable by law For the purpose of punishing the legally sanctioned perpetrators of such crimes.  The Cabinet also approved the Five-Year National Development Plan (2018-2022), which is based on key themes (Good Governance, Private Sector, Provincial Reconstruction, Poverty Alleviation). The plan focuses on: A) Promotion of productive sectors (agriculture and industry) that move the rest of the sectors to reach a target economic growth rate of 7%.  B - Increase production capacity in the crude oil sector to (6.5) million barrels per day.  (C) Providing sustainable employment opportunities, reducing poverty and many other paragraphs.   http://pmo.iq/press2018/1-4-201801.htm

[justchecking123]

1 hour ago, yota691 said:

Cabinet approves plan to increase economic growth by 7% and raise oil production to 6.5 million barrels per day

 

Session of the Council of Ministers

money and business Economy News Baghdad: The cabinet on Sunday approved the five-year national development plan (2018-2022) to achieve economic growth of 7 percent and increase oil production by 6.5 million bpd. The Cabinet, in a press statement received by "Economy News", it "held on Sunday, its regular chaired by Prime Minister Haider Abadi," explaining that "the Council approved the National Development Plan five-year (2018-2022), which is based on the main axes (good governance , Private sector, provincial reconstruction, poverty alleviation). "The plan focuses on the promotion of productive sectors (agriculture and industry) that move the rest of the sectors to reach a target economic growth rate of 7%, increase production capacity in the crude oil sector to (6.5) million barrels per day, and provide sustainable employment opportunities Poverty reduction and many other paragraphs. " Views 1291   Date Added 04/01/2018

It seems Abadi has some stroke, and isn't some puppet. Good NEWS for Iraq as a whole right here. 

[The Englishman]

Haider Al Abadi announces plan to wean Iraq off oil dependency  

 

Baghdad aims to build the country's private sector 

 

Mina Aldroubi

April 2, 2018

Updated: April 2, 2018 08:05 PM

Iraq's government unveiled a five-year economic development plan to wean the country off its long-term dependence on oil and build its private sector.

During a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi said the plan will aim to diversify the oil-reliant economy.

Baghdad depends on the oil sector for more than 90 per cent of its revenue.

The strategy, announced ahead of May's elections, aims to expand the private sector, provincial reconstruction, poverty alleviation and good governance.

“The strategy will focus on the development of the agriculture industry, with a target of seven per cent growth rate, in addition to providing sustainable employment opportunities for nationals,” the cabinet statement said.

Mr Al Abadi said that the country is "working to establish a healthy economy with diversified revenues that does not depend on the changing prices of oil."

Rasha Al Aqeedi, a researcher at Al Mesbar Studies and Research Center in Dubai said that unless Iraq uproots the scourge of mismanagement and corruption "no plan is realistic."

"Mismanagement and corruption drains most of Iraq's income," Ms Al Aqeedi told The National.

"Mismanagement being a budget burdened by a bureaucracy that pretends to work. Iraq has an excess of desk employees in the public sector. Are there proper plans to scale down the bureaucracy while providing private sector jobs?"

 

"The same concerns of every new annual budget remain valid. How much of a role do patronage and partisan loyalties play into this new plan?" she said.

This month the country marks the 15th anniversary of the fall of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein - years in which Baghdad's central government has faced mounting sectarianism and battled the extremist group ISIL, who seized a third of the country in 2014.

Underlining its current reliance on oil, the cabinet also approved a plan to raise the output of crude oil capacity to 6.5 million barrels per day (bpd) over the space of five years.

In January, the Iraqi oil minister Jabar Al Luaibi, said that capacity was currently close to 5 million bpd.

The country is producing more than 4.4 million bpd in line with an agreement between the 14-member Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other exporters including Russia in a bid to cut supply and boost oil prices.

Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest producer after Saudi Arabia, plans to award oil and gas exploration and development contracts in 11 new blocks on April 15.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi economy is expected to grow 1.5 per cent in 2018 before increasing to 4.5 per cent in 2019, BMI Research said in a report.

“The extension of the OPEC deal until the end of 2018 will continue to weigh on the country’s exports through the end of the year. However, next year the completion of new development phases of major oil fields will boost production capacities and support headline growth,” said the report.

Spending on infrastructure will boost Iraq’s non-oil economy and increased government spending ahead of the May elections will enhance consumer spending, BMI said.

However, the report stipulates that insufficient funding and endemic corruption as well as OPEC oil supply cuts in the country will weigh on the pace of progress.

[nannab]

Thanks Englishman 

[yota691]

Important details about the five - year plan 2018 - 2022

Date of release: 2018/4/3 12:27 • 224 times read

(Baghdad: Al-Furat News) Minister of Planning Salman Jumaili revealed details of the National Development Plan 2018-2022 prepared by the Ministry and approved by the Council of Ministers in its meeting last Sunday.

"The National Plan of 2018-2022 represents an important step for the wider launch of the sustainable development journey in line with Iraq's Vision 2030, guided by a set of sectoral policies and strategies based primarily on human capital," Jumaili said in a statement to the ministry. Social and people's economy and provide services at the lowest cost. " 
"Ultimately, a plan will pave the way for building a future state by addressing the challenges and objectives set out in Vision 2030 and providing new opportunities for growth, especially with continued international and regional support for Iraq," he said. 
He added that "
He pointed out that "the National Development Plan 2018-2022, based on the analysis of the reality and the development of specific tracks to guide the priorities approved four axes directed to the plan is: {lay the foundations of governance and associated pillars and elements, the private sector, and the development of the business environment and investment, Poverty alleviation in all governorates, taking from the results-based management methodology a path to build a realistic framework in line with the available information on the current reality and review what was achieved in the previous plan.
Al-Jumaili added: "The plan also adopted its slogan: laying the foundations of an active developmental state with social responsibility or post-recovery options, a country that adopts and plays directed developmental roles in policy-making and the private sector is an active partner in defining and implementing economic, Through an enabling environment for attracting capital and expertise and in accordance with the principle of efficiency and real competition under a rational governance and in order to prepare for the adoption of the system of the social market economy as a method of economic management and keen to reduce the spatial disparity between the provinces. 
He pointed out that the plan "depends on the improvement of asset management, based on the philosophy of the development model by giving priority to labor-intensive sectors in order to reduce unemployment and achieve high growth rates."
The plan also tackled the problems and obstacles faced by the two previous plans, namely institutional, economic, social and environmental challenges, through the strategic objectives and principles adopted by them, among them the establishment of the foundations of good governance, economic, financial, monetary, banking and trade reform. The crisis of displacement and the loss of human security, as well as providing the requirements of an enabling environment for investment in all its forms. " 
"The national development plan 2018-2022 aims to achieve growth rate in the Iraqi economy by 7% by raising the gross domestic product to [292.5} trillion dinars in 2022 from 182.2 trillion dinars in 2015," he said.
He pointed out that "the expected revenues during the years of the plan will be about 440 trillion dinars, of which 370.2 trillion dinars of oil revenues and about 70 trillion dinars of non-oil revenues, while the volume of oil production in 2022 to about 5 million barrels per day and an export rate of up to 4 million barrels per day "He said. 
The Minister of Planning "As for the investments required during the five-year plan will be {220.6} trillion dinars, of which 132 billion trillion government investments amounting to 60% of the total investment and there are {88.6} trillion dinars are from the private sector and 60% of the total investments And the distribution of investments in the fields of mining, construction, finance, insurance, oil, electricity, water, trade, agriculture, manufacturing, transport and communications. 
He pointed out "
Al-Jumaili explained that "the plan has set goals and major directions for macroeconomic policies in the field of fiscal policy, monetary and trade as well as in the energy sector and manufacturing industries. In the area of electricity sector, the plan aims to increase the production capacity in the electrical system to about 21 thousand megawatts and increase the per capita energy to reach (4041) kw / h and work to rationalize energy consumption for different uses and reduce them by 7% and enhance the role of the private sector in the management of production and distribution sectors.
"In the field of manufacturing and extraction except oil, the plan works to increase the share of the gross domestic product in fixed prices of the non-oil manufacturing and extraction industries to 1.17% in 2022, and work on finding other sources to finance public sector projects and limiting the financing of the investment budget for strategic projects only , As well as supporting the petrochemical industries, fertilizers and industries that rely on mineral raw materials and benefit from the abundance of priority materials for these industries. 
"In the agriculture and water resources sector, the plan seeks to increase the contribution of the agricultural sector in the GDP to 5.2% and achieve growth in this sector up to 8%.
Al-Jumaili said, "The plan also set logical goals to be achieved in the transport, communications, storage, water, sanitation and building and services sectors. In this regard, work will be carried out on the completion of housing projects under implementation or suspended, including investment, which is estimated at 700 thousand housing units in all provinces, In addition to providing 100 thousand housing units according to the methods and modern technologies and the establishment of 100 thousand other housing units suitable for the requirements of securing the return of displaced persons and slums and transgressors, and provide 50% of mortgage financing private sector investment required to cover the housing deficit. 
He pointed out that "the plan has set goals in the sector of culture, archeology, population, manpower, human and social development, health, youth, women, social development and others."
He pointed out that "great efforts have been made by the team of experts and those concerned in preparing the five-year development plan 2018-2022 since the start of work on the preparation in 2016, while we emphasize that this team was able to develop a development plan responsive to the challenges and the flexibility to make them possible Taking advantage of our previous two development plans (2010-2014) and {2013-2017}, which have faced great difficulties and challenges, we highly value the efforts of the team and all those who contributed to the preparation of this plan, which is closer to a policy plan than a program plan.
"The chances of success for this plan will be better than the circumstances that accompanied the previous two plans. First of all, Iraq is rid of terrorism. Today, it adopts the philosophy of sustainable development building, building strong partnerships with the national private sector and benefiting from international support, economically and politically, With the availability of unified national political will that will provide a more stable environment for the implementation of development policies that allow us to activate effective economic alternatives to reach a national economy is multi-not unilateral. "

[Butifldrm]

Iraq Unveils Plan To Diversify Away From Oil

By Julianne Geiger - Apr 03, 2018, 3:00 AM CDT

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi on Sunday unveiled an ambitious plan to end its dependence on oil through building up its private sector over the course of just five years.

The plans are reminiscent of Iraq’s earlier plans to shift away from oil and towards the industrial sector, which were discussed in mid-2013. At the time, the plan faced many headwinds, including political discord and disruptive sectarian violence.

“The government made a decision to focus on other sources in the country instead of oil, so the new plan will basically focus on industry instead of oil,” said Hussain al-Shahristani deputy prime minister for energy affairs, said at the time.

 

Today, 90 percent of Iraq’s total revenue comes from the oil sector.

This time around, the plan is to shift away from oil and toward agriculture—a move that if successful, would insulate Iraq from significant swings in oil prices, not to mention lessen the burden of its tether to OPEC’s oil production cuts.

At the same time, Iraq approved over the weekend an increase to its oil production capacity by as much as 1.5 million barrels per day, despite its duty to OPEC to curb production to 4.35 million bpd. The plans to increase Iraq’s oil production capacity comes just days after Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luiebi recently told media that Iraq’s proven crude oil reserves could be much higher than previously estimated.

If the higher estimate proves true, it would make Iraq the largest oil-rich country in the world, ahead of Venezuela, which claims its reserves are just above 300 billion barrels, and also ahead of Saudi Arabia, with 260.8 billion barrels.

Al-Luaibi’s remarks on the reserve estimates come amid preparations for the next oil tender in the country, which is to take place this week and offer 11 exploration blocks to foreign companies.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

 

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Iraq-Unveils-Plan-To-Diversify-Away-From-Oil.html

[yota691]

Economists: the five-year plan will not reap the benefits of corruption

Updated 03/04/2018 1:26 PM   Baghdad / Danair / .. The Cabinet approved in its meeting last Sunday, the five-year economic development plan for the years (2018 - 2022) in order to improve the economic reality of the country. Economists believed that the five-year plan will not avoid its impact in the event of financial and administrative corruption in all joints of the state, as well as Peru and the delay in the completion of transactions and development projects. The five-year National Development Plan (2018-2022), which is based on key themes (good governance, private sector, provincial reconstruction, poverty alleviation), focuses on improving the productive sectors (agriculture and industry) Targeted economic growth of 7%. Increase production capacity in the crude oil sector to (6.5) million barrels per day, and provide sustainable employment opportunities and reduce poverty and many other paragraphs.  The five-year national development plan (2018-2022) approved by the cabinet on Sunday does not represent the real course of the country's economic work, unlike the rest of the world, the official said. "The successive governments have not implemented any tracks of the five-year plans in their budgets for various reasons, some of them the sovereignty of the political decision on the economic, and the other caused by economic crises and the latest war on the urging and turn the budget into a military and disrupt its development." He added: "The five-year plans bear economic titles promising and brilliant, including the fight against poverty and unemployment and the revitalization of the private sector, but any step in this direction has not been achieved so far what is stated in the contents of these budgets." He called on the specialist to "adopt these plans in the form of a government program for the next government to follow the general lines, perhaps to achieve a real and real development path," stressing that these plans will remain on paper unless the fight against corruption and the interests of the country over narrow interests. For his part, economic expert Mohammed al-Hassani said that all the economic plans set by the government in previous years were a mere piece of paper that was announced in the media but did not apply on the ground, and the reason is due to corruption and Peru. "The survival of the state and the persistence of corruption are rampant in all parts of the country. The five-year plan will not yield its fruits and will not achieve its desired goals, because corruption is a hindrance to the economy of the country," al-Hassani told Agence France-Presse. The Iraqi economy is one-sided rent for the adoption of the revenues of oil in the financing of the federal budget. / End / 8 /

[Butifldrm]

   

«Morning» publishes the details of the five-year plan 2018-2022

04/4/2018 12:00 am  Baghdad / follow - up to the morning   revealed Planning Minister Salman Jumaili, on Tuesday, about important details of the 2018-2022 national development plan prepared by the ministry and approved by the Council of Ministers at its meeting last Sunday, and published «morning» the details of the plan , which the minister Jumaili cited figures and objectives of the economic and financial mechanisms "The National Development Plan (NDP) 2018-2022 represents an important step for the broader launch of the sustainable development journey in line with Iraq's Vision 2030, guided by a set of sectoral policies and strategies based on Q to the human and social capital and the economy of the people and provide services at the lowest costs »and added« Ultimately, the plan will pave the way for the construction of a future state by addressing the challenges and guided by the objectives set out in the Vision 2030, providing new opportunities for growth, especially with the continued international and regional support for Iraq ».  Priorities and axes  continued, that « the priorities of the plan will be to address the failure of the economic sectors and the disintegration of societal structures and weak government and institutional role and the limited role of the local private sector and the reluctance to invest, in order to overcome under funding and the provision of appropriate and stimulating for the exercise of various economic activities , business environment», and pointed out that «plan National Development 2018-2022, based on the analysis of the reality and the development of specific tracks to guide the priorities approved four axes directed to the plan is: (laying the foundations of governance and associated pillars and elements, the private sector, and the development of the business environment and investment, reconstruction, The multi-dimensional poverty level in all governorates, taking the results-based management methodology in a realistic way in line with available information on the current situation and reviewing what was achieved in the previous plan. " The State of Development Al-Jumaili said, "The plan also adopted the slogan of establishing an active developmental state with social responsibility or post-recovery options, a country that adopts and plays developmental and policy-oriented roles and the private sector is an active partner in defining and implementing economic, social and environmental priorities. A diversified partnership through an enabling environment for attracting capital and expertise and in accordance with the principle of efficiency and real competition in the light of good governance and in order to prepare for the adoption of the system of social market economy as a method of economic management and keen to reduce the spatial disparity between the provinces, "and noted that the plan« تع D to improve asset management, based on the philosophy of the model of development by giving priority to labor-intensive sectors with the aim of reducing unemployment and achieving high growth rates. » The plan also dealt with the problems and obstacles faced by the two previous plans, namely institutional, economic, social and environmental challenges, through the strategic objectives and principles adopted by them, among them establishing the foundations of good governance and achieving economic, financial, monetary, banking and commercial reform. Because of the crisis of displacement and the loss of human security, as well as provide the requirements of an enabling environment for investment in all   forms ».  Goals and Figures "The National Development Plan (NDP) 2018-2022 aims at achieving a growth rate in the Iraqi economy of about 7 percent by raising the gross domestic product to 292.5 trillion dinars in 2022 from 182.2 trillion dinars in 2015, During the years of the plan will be about 440 trillion dinars; of which 370.2 trillion dinars of oil revenues and about 70 trillion dinars of non-oil revenues, while the volume of oil production in 2022 to about 5 million barrels per day and an export rate of up to 4 million barrels per day. The Minister of Planning, «As for investments required during the five years of the plan will be (220.6) trillion dinars, including (132) trillion government investments amounting to 60 percent of the total investment, and there (88.6) trillion dinars are from the private sector and by 40 percent Of the total investments, and the distribution of investments in the areas of mining, construction and finance, insurance, oil, electricity, water, trade, agriculture, manufacturing, transport and communications », pointing out that« the expected per capita GDP of about 7 million dinars at the end of the life of the plan in 2022 » . Overall Policies Al-Jumaili explained that «the plan has set goals and directions of the main macroeconomic policies in the field of fiscal policy, monetary and trade as well as in the energy sector and manufacturing industries, in the field of electricity sector, the plan aims to increase the production capacity in the electrical system to about 21 thousand megawatts and increase the per capita energy To reach (4041) kWh and work to rationalize energy consumption for different uses and reduce them by 7 percent and strengthen the role of the private sector in the management of the production and distribution sectors ».  He went on «in the field of manufacturing and extraction except oil, the plan is working to increase the proportion of the contribution of gross domestic product in fixed prices of manufacturing and non-oil extraction industries to 1.17 percent in 2022, and work on finding other sources to finance public sector projects and limited funding of investment budget for strategic projects As well as supporting the petrochemical industries, fertilizers and industries that rely on mineral raw materials and benefit from the abundance of priority materials for these industries ». "In the agriculture and water resources sector, the plan seeks to increase the contribution of the agricultural sector to GDP by 5.2 percent, to achieve growth of 8.4 percent in this sector, and to secure the annual demand for water for sustainable uses in agricultural, industrial and municipal areas," he said. In order to achieve the water balance with the possibility of reducing the annual demand for water by 500 million cubic meters annually ». Al-Jumaili said: "The plan also set logical goals to be achieved in the transport, communications, storage, water, sanitation and buildings and services sector. In this regard, work will be carried out on completion of residential projects under implementation or suspended, including investment, which is estimated at 700 thousand housing units in all governorates, As well as to secure 100 thousand housing units according to the methods and modern technologies and the establishment of another 100 thousand housing units suitable for the requirements of securing the return of displaced persons and slums and transgressors, and provide 50 percent of mortgage financing private sector investment required to cover the housing deficit » He pointed out that «the plan set goals in the sector of culture and the effects of population and manpower, human and social development, health, youth, women, social development and others». Expert Group The Minister of Planning, "The efforts of the group of experts and those concerned with the preparation of the five-year development plan 2018-2022 since the start of work in 2016, while we emphasize that this team was able to develop a development plan responsive to the challenges and the flexibility of what Making it possible to implement, benefiting from our previous experiences of the Development Plans (2010-2014) and (2013-2017), which have faced great difficulties and challenges, we highly value the efforts of the team and everyone who contributed to the preparation of this plan, which is closer to a policy plan than being Program Plan ». He concluded by saying: «The chances of success of this plan will be more favorable than the circumstances that accompanied the previous two plans, first and foremost that Iraq rid of terrorism and today is based on the philosophy of sustainable development and building on the establishment of strong partnerships with the national private sector and benefiting from international support Economic and political, with the availability of the unified national political will that will provide a more stable environment for the implementation of development policies that allow us to activate effective economic alternatives to a multi-national economy, not unilateral.

http://www.alsabaah.iq/ArticleShow.aspx?ID=155079

[little willie]

I hope the HCL is not in the 5 year plan