From shared diagnosis, to policy proposals, to engagement with decision-makers.
Request a conversation The inaugural working groupFiscal conditions have tightened, government priorities are shifting, and the post-2030 national vision is taking shape. The government has signalled that the private sector must play a greater role in Qatar’s economic transition.
Policy decisions in the coming period will define the operating environment for the decade ahead. Yet private firms have few platforms through which to think through policy alternatives and engage in policy deliberations.
The Doha Economic Policy Initiative (DEPI) brings Qatar-based firms together on questions of collective concern. Each working group moves deliberately from diagnosis, to policy proposals, to engagement — combining candid closed-door deliberation among peers with original research and comparative evidence, so that when firms engage with decision-makers they do so with a shared position and proposals already tested for viability.
Privately funded and intellectually independent.
Rigorous, evidence-based analysis.
Convenings under the Chatham House Rule.
Topics chosen for policy relevance.
Structured programmes of deliberation and original research on a single question, run over three private roundtables with a cohort of peer firms — moving from the issues, to the proposals, to the exchange.
DEPI identifies the right policy counterparts for each question, tests proposals with them privately before they are put forward, and prepares and convenes closed-door exchanges and public-private dialogue.
Original research on the questions facing Qatar’s firms: framing papers and comparative analysis, published reports with prioritised recommendations, and a periodic survey of business conditions.
A private briefing for each participating firm’s leadership, applying the working groups’ analysis and survey findings to that firm’s own position — delivered under the Chatham House Rule, without attribution.
A cohort of up to ten firms from different sectors across three private roundtables. The first surfaces and prioritises the issues. The second works those priorities into policy proposals, with issue experts. The third is designed as a direct exchange with policy counterparts on the proposals.
Deliberation among peers runs under the Chatham House Rule throughout, without attribution to any firm. The programme produces a published report, targeted policy briefs, and a confidential briefing for each participating firm.
The inaugural cohort is being formed now, ahead of scoping interviews in September and the first roundtable in October 2026.
Enquire about the cohortDEPI’s inaugural cohort is a small group of Qatar-based firms whose leadership brings substantive perspective and standing to the work. Firms can take a seat in a single working group, or take up an annual membership that adds DEPI’s research and year-round access alongside it.
One seat in a single working group, for the full programme — three roundtables from the issues through to the exchange, the research behind them, and a confidential briefing for your leadership. Complete on its own.
Everything in a working group seat, plus the year-round layer: DEPI’s research as it is published, the business conditions survey with your firm’s own results, standing invitations to closed-door exchanges, and a voice in the questions DEPI takes up next.
Terms are shared following an initial conversation. Revenues fund the Initiative’s research, convening, and operations.
Nader Kabbani is a development economist with twenty-five years of experience in policy research, advisory work, and convening across the Gulf and the wider Arab region. He served as Director of Research at the Brookings Doha Center, was the Founding Director of the Syrian Development Research Center, and led the Doha Global South Health Policy Initiative in partnership with the Gates Foundation. He currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Minister of Finance of Syria and has advised Qatar’s National Planning Council on the Third National Development Strategy (NDS3). He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Johns Hopkins University.
Nejla Ben Mimoune is a policy professional with a decade of experience in research, program management, and stakeholder engagement across MENA and the GCC. She has led policy roundtables, managed grant-funded research, and produced policy analysis on labor markets, education, and Gulf economic diversification. Her work has been published in academic journals and through multilateral organizations including the ILO, UNDP, and UN ESCWA. She holds a Master's in Development Economics and is fluent in Arabic and English and proficient in French.
Siraj Ibrahim is a policy professional with experience in public policy research, program coordination, and stakeholder engagement across academia, government, and the nonprofit sector. He previously supported research, grant development, and institutional partnerships at the College of Public Policy, HBKU, and has contributed to resource governance projects in North America. His work spans economic development, governance, education, and international affairs. He is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
The team is supported by a network of regional and international collaborators. The Initiative is delivered by Sustainable Solutions LLC, a Qatar Financial Centre–registered advisory practice.
Conversations are confidential and without commitment... an opportunity to explore whether DEPI is right for your firm.
membership@dohaepi.orgOccasional announcements on working groups, publications, and events... no more than monthly.
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