Kurdistan Region has issued over 900 investment licenses since 2019, official says

ERBIL, Iraq — The head of the Kurdistan Region's Investment Authority said more than 900 official investment licenses have been issued since 2019, as the region seeks to expand its role in construction and manufacturing. Speaking at the opening of the Erbil International Building Materials Fair, Authority President Mohammed Shukri said the region has reached self-sufficiency in most building materials and is working to market them to other Iraqi cities and export them abroad. Shukri said annual cement production now exceeds 21 million tons and annual construction steel output is above 4 million tons. He added that the regional government continues to support the private sector's role in reconstruction and building, with efforts underway to broaden local production to include bricks, electrical cables and related materials, as well as white cement. The Erbil fair is drawing 450 local and foreign companies and will run for four days, according to the Investment Authority chief. No further details on individual licenses or investment sectors were immediately available.