The Business Year Sharjah 2020

Sharjah is well known, not only for its heritage sites, culturally rich sites, and vivid modern quarters, but also for its promising business environment and high level of human talent, with all the resources needed to make the next leap. Thanks to the great efforts of its leaders, Emirati students have access to world-class level universities, are fluent in several languages, and possess a broad, international outlook that can serve any business format. The Business Year's country-specific publications, sometimes featuring over 150 face-to-face interviews, are among the most comprehensive annual economic publications available internationally. This 118-page publication covers finance, investment, energy, green economy, IT and media, industry, transport, construction, real estate, health, education, and tourism.

2020—the turn of decade, the intended year of Expo, and the eve of the UAE's 50th anniversary—is indeed an opportune time. Even as shockwaves from a truly unexpected disruption, known colloquially as coronavirus and officially COVID-19, resonate around the world, Dubai's diversification as well as its orientation toward innovation will undoubtedly help the Emirate lead the way through a challenging time.The Business Year's country-specific publications, sometimes featuring over 150 face-to-face interviews, are among the most comprehensive annual economic publications available internationally. This 244-page publication covers green economy, banking, capital markets, insurance, energy, industry, telecoms and IT, transport and logistics, maritime, real estate, construction, health, education, and tourism.

As Ecuador and the world at large grapple with the emerging challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important not to forget the fundamentals of the Ecuadorian economy and the success stories of 2019 and the start of 2020. We believe contained within these pages is an accurate, balanced account of the state of the Ecuadorian economy as of publication, told through the words of the dozens of top public- and private-sector figures. The Business Year's country-specific publications, sometimes featuring over 150 face-to-face interviews, are among the most comprehensive annual economic publications available internationally. This 212-page publication covers green economy, finance, hydrocarbons, mining, agriculture, construction, industry, transport, education, health, ICT, and tourism.

Research for this publication began in the wake of elections that saw the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari, who was sworn in on May 2019. The result brought an end to a period of political uncertainty and added new vigor to Africa's largest economy. Nevertheless, despite this new-found stability, Nigeria is still struggling to overcome the impact of years of recession, not to mention the challenges of the low oil price environment and the effects of COVID-19 mitigation measures. This 188-page publication covers finance, gas and power, oil and exploration, industry, IT and telecoms, transport, construction, real estate, agriculture, health, entertainment, and tourism.

For the Saudi Arabia 2020 publication, our sixth annual edition on the Kingdom's economy, we placed heavy emphasis on technology and innovation as a catalyst for change, as well as the developments in the digital economy. Across numerous industries, technology is playing an increasingly greater role—as a global trend but no less true for Saudi Arabia, which has in recent years committed large-scale investment into digital transformation. The Business Year's country-specific publications, sometimes featuring over 150 face-to-face interviews, are among the most comprehensive annual economic publications available internationally. This 280-page publication covers finance, green economy, energy, water, industry, defense, transport, aviation, digital economy, real estate, construction, food, agriculture, health, education, entertainment, culture, and sports.

Featuring dozens of interviews from across every major sector of the economy, we are confident that this publication will be a vital handbook for anybody looking to do business in Abu Dhabi.

The Business Year returns, in partnership with Parsons, the UAE Ministry of Economy, and the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), to offer insights into the process and progress of Abu Dhabi's journey through COVID-19. This 124-page publication seeks to shed light on the main strategies used by decision makers across Abu Dhabi's key sectors, as well as bring to the fore the experiences that contextualize the Emirate's wider capacity to navigate the pandemic and bounce back stronger.

2020 will forever be remembered as the year that the COVID-19 pandemic mercilessly hit the world, leaving a trail of loss both human and economic. Qatar has managed to limit its economic decline to a reasonable 2.5%, emerging as the top performer in the GCC. The IMF also expects the economy to expand 2.7% in 2021. Resilience and diversification have been buzzwords in Qatar for some time, yet never have they taken on so much meaning. This 184-page publication aims to provide a platform for the country's decision makers at a time of global uncertainty and act as a guide for investors looking seriously at the Gulf economy. It covers sports, finance, energy, industry, transport, ICT and media, construction and real estate, food security, health and education, tourism, and retail.