Qatar’s future is not only female, it’s financed. With more than 661 million QAR in financing and a 10% rise in women-led start-ups, Qatar’s Second National Development Strategy marked a significant push to integrate women into the country’s growing entrepreneurial economy.
Spanning 2018 to 2022, Qatar’s Second National Development Strategy (2NDS) is dedicated to empowering and enfranchising Qatar’s female entrepreneurs. Informed by broader national goals of economic diversification beyond hydrocarbons and shifting towards social inclusion, the 2NDS recognizes women as critical innovators and the growing frontier of entrepreneurship. By reducing structural barriers to labour market entry and expanding institutional support access, 2NDS aims to kick-start a transition into women’s active workforce participation. At the same time, women’s economic empowerment remains partially constrained by a long-standing Qatari national policy of male guardianship.1 Through targeted investments in skills development, financing, and business incubation, the strategy reflects a coordinated, ever evolving effort to embed gender equality within the country’s long-term economic development agenda.
Implementation
The Second National Development Strategy (2018–2022) was built on the legal foundation of Qatar’s 2004 Permanent Constitution, which guaranteed women’s rights to ownership and entrepreneurship, and was guided by the Qatar National Vision 2030, formalized in 2008. These instruments established the policy and legal framework that directed the Qatari Development Bank’s (QDB) implementation of women’s entrepreneurship programmes under NDS2.2
Implementation of Qatar’s Second National Development Strategy focuses on two aspects: training and financing. Under the guidance of the QDB, incubation services were offered to Qatari businesswomen focused on improving their relationships with Qatari institutions, creating structured business plans, and improving technical and administrative skills.3 These services were provided through the Social Development Centre (Namaa) as well as QDB’s incubation programmes and business accelerators through the Qatar Business Incubation Centre, Qatar Fintech Centre, and others.4 While Qatari women are pushed by societal expectations to seek caregiving roles, these programs aim to develop skills that are geared towards innovation and technical skills.5
Entrepreneurs seeking to start businesses can request funding for their projects through seed capital, angel funding, venture capital, or equity funding.6 Qatari Development Bank programmes, such as Al-Dhameen, provide guarantees to partner financial institutions—reducing these institutions’ risk while maximising the amount of capital available to Qatari entrepreneurs.7 Through this indirect financing as well as direct financing from the QDB, Qatari women entrepreneurs gain access to the capital needed to support their businesses.8
Investment
In 2023, direct financing to Qatari women entrepreneurs in state-backed development loans via the Qatari Development Bank (QDB) reached QAR 661 million (approximately USD 181.6 million). Indirect commercial bank loans backed by the QDB through the Al-Dhameen programme added a further QAR 333.5 million (approximately USD 91.6 million). The cost of the Social Development Centre (Namaa) remains unknown.9
Assessment
Qatar’s Second National Development Strategy demonstrates measurable progress in expanding women’s entrepreneurial participation, particularly through millions of QAR in financing and incubation services. In 2023, the program saw a 10 percent increase in women creating start-up and micro-productivity projects.9 Yet, structural barriers persist with support services undifferentiated between men and women entrepreneurs.10 In Qatar’s evaluation of the female entrepreneurship programme, QDB officials noted a need for evaluating funding based on gender for women entrepreneur candidates.11 Qatar’s male guardianship system continues to constrain women’s economic autonomy, restricting their ability to independently pursue business opportunities despite formal policy support. However, the implementation of 2NDS provided direct benefit to 149 women who participated in the Social Development Centre’s programming, 321 women who received loans through QDB’s Al-Dhameen programme, and 56 women who received direct financing from QDB.12 Despite its imperfections, the 2NDS strategy moves in the right direction towards promoting the inclusion of women in the labour market and future iterations seek to provide greater support towards achieving gender parity in entrepreneurship.
Photo Caption © Qatari Businesswomen Association.
References
- 1. Human Rights Watch, "Everything I Have to Do is Tied to a Man:" Women and Qatar's Male Guardianship Rules,” Human Rights Watch, March 29, 2021, https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/03/29/everything-i-have-do-tied-man/women-and-qatars-male-guardianship-rules.
- 2. State of Qatar, Qatar National Vision 2030, Emiri Decision No. 44, 2008, https://www.almeezan.qa/EnglishLaws/Emiri%20Decision%20No.%20(44)%20of%202008%20Adopting%20the%20Comprehensive%20Developmental%20Vision%20Qatar%20National%20Vision%202030.pdf; State of Qatar, Permanent Constitution of the State of Qatar, 2004, arts. 18, 19, 35, https://www.gco.gov.qa/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/permanent_constitution_state_qatar_en.pdf; State of Qatar, Second National Development Strategy 2018–2022, 2018, https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/qat181692E.pdf.
- 3. UN Women, "Qatar: Promoting New Business Development by Women," UN Women, August 2025, https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/b30_summary_qatar_final.pdf.
- 4. UN Women, "Qatar: Promoting New Business Development by Women;” United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA), "Building the Capacities of Young Men and Women in Qatar in the Area of Social Entrepreneurship,” UNESCWA, 2020, https://www.unescwa.org/events/building-capacities-young-men-and-women-qatar-area-social-entrepreneurship.
- 5. The Peninsula Qatar, "Qatari Women Emerging as a Powerful Force in National Workforce: QCDC Executive Director," November 17, 2025, https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/17/11/2025/qatari-women-emerging-as-a-powerful-force-in-national-workforce-qcdc-executive-director.
- 6. Qatar Development Bank, “Female Entrepreneurship in Qatar: A Study of Female Entrepreneurship in Qatar — Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities,” Qatar Development Bank, 2023, https://www.qdb.qa/-/media/qdbapp/publications-pdf/female_ent_report_en.pdf.
- 7. Qatar Development Bank, "Al-Dhameen Credit Guarantee Program,” Qatar Development Bank, accessed 2026, https://www.qdb.qa/financing-and-funding/credit-guarantees.
- 8. UN Women, "Qatar: Promoting New Business Development by Women."
- 9. Ibid.
- 10. Qatar Development Bank, “Female Entrepreneurship in Qatar,” 2023, https://www.qdb.qa/-/media/qdbapp/publications-pdf/female_ent_report_en.pdf.
- 11. Ibid.
- 12. Ibid.