Alaa Abu Siam

What have been the main challenges in materializing greener projects in Qatar?

In the Qatari market, there are a number of challenges where we could create value in an expedited manner. For example, in terms of green spaces in Qatar, according to the last study I looked at, the percentage of green coverage is on average 4sqm per capita, though the average globally is 25sqm. There is a lot to be done in order to greenify Qatar and Doha, where Egis has strong recent experiences to share. The other challenge in Qatar is that over 60% of carbon emissions are related to electricity generation. One of the biggest consumers of electricity are desalination plants, because Qatar generates 99% of its water from desalination activities. It is about finding a more energy efficient way to run these desalination plants. The third challenge is transportation related and how we can become less dependent on vehicles and this can be done. We need to make way for electric vehicles and other less polluting solutions. These are some of the challenges that Egis is excited and well equipped to address together with our partners in the country.

What will drive growth for Egis Qatar in 2023?

For Qatar, our engineering and project management know-how is strong and the pipeline is healthy. Our partnership with Ashghal will continue to drive growth after the World Cup. Beyond project management consulting, we are also working on roads and infrastructure design projects. One area that we are increasingly interested in is the operation and maintenance of assets. Today, we operate more than 4,500km of roads in 17 countries and 17 airports worldwide. This means we put in equity and become a part of the company running the asset, alongside local partners. We are also looking for external growth through acquisitions as Egis is fairly active in the M&A space; having acquired 14 companies in 2021 globally and currently considering transactions in the Middle East that we should be able to announce soon.