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16•October 3, 2025

Business LANDSCAPE Magazine Issue 16

#ICT Iraq#Digital Economy#Digital transformation Iraq#Iraq Digital Infrastructure#Iraq#Iraq Business Scene#Telecom & Connectivity#Artificial Intelligence#Iraq Post Digitization#Asia–Europe Digital Corridor#ICT Development Index#ministry of telecommunications#iraqi post
October 3, 202515 Articles

Issue Overview

We are delighted to present the sixteenth issue of Iraq Business Scene magazine – the Digital Infrastructure Edition – which offers an in-depth exploration of Iraq’s digital infrastructure renaissance and technological transformation. This issue brings together extensive reports on Iraq’s leap in the International Telecommunication Development Index, a special “Path of Civilizations” feature on positioning the country as a digital corridor between Asia and Europe, and a detailed report on the digitization of Iraq Post, alongside an exclusive interview with the Minister of Communications and research insights on cities, climate, investment, and artificial intelligence. The edition includes exclusive interviews, analytical features, research perspectives, and real-world innovation stories, highlighting both the opportunities for transformation and the challenges facing entrepreneurs and decision-makers in the coming phase.

Articles in this Issue

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Business Landscape Message

As the Middle East undergoes rapid geopolitical change, Iraq stands out for its cautious yet steady stability—hard-won and widely felt. That stability is powering tangible progress: new roads and bridges, broad adoption of digital commerce, Iraq’s emergence as a regional data corridor, and momentum behind the “Development Road” linking Asia and Europe. Most crucially, it’s giving young entrepreneurs room to build and compete. On the eve of parliamentary elections, the message is clear: development, investment, and an advanced economy all rest on safeguarding this stability.

ArticleEditorial Team5 min
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Iraq Achieves Historical Growth on the International Telecommunication Development Index

Iraq’s IDI score jumped from 69.5 (2023) to 78.4 (2025), reflecting rapid fiber/5G rollouts, 82.9% internet adoption, and booming e-services—though urban–rural and fiber-access gaps persist. The gains lay a foundation for digital transformation and economic diversification.

ArticleEditorial Team5 min
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The Resource Left Untapped for Years: "Road of Civilizations" Generates Millions for State Treasury

Iraq has activated the “Road of Civilizations” (Data Silk Road), turning the country into a fiber-optic corridor between Asia and Europe. Revenues jumped from $0.435M (2022) to $21M (2024), with first commercial contracts signed in 2025. Next: capacity upgrades, solar-powered data centers, and direct peering (Google/Microsoft/Meta/TikTok). The land route targets ~70 ms latency vs. 120–150 ms via Suez/Central Asia, offering a strategic, resilient alternative aligned with the Development Road.

ArticleEditorial Team5 min
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Iraqi Post Leads Digital Transformation: Achievements and Challenges

Iraq’s postal operator (IQA) is digitizing fast: e-licensing with QR tracking, a “Single Window” portal, and CDS customs. UPU metrics show sharp gains—95.87% compliance (38th) and 96.5% index (32nd)—plus new deals (Turkish Airlines, Asia Pay) and smart mailboxes. Key gaps remain: slow/uneven delivery, weak e-payments, complex customs, and skills shortages.

ArticleEditorial Team5 min
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We Completed 100% of Our Government Program Minister of Communications to "Business LANDSCAPE": We Broke the Monopoly... and Fiber Optic Cable Will Enter Every Home

Minister Hiyam Al-Yasiri says the ministry hit “100%” of its program, broke long-standing monopolies, and is phasing out Wi-Fi in favor of FTTH—now ~4.5–5M lines—lifting revenues via anti-corruption, contract fixes, and projects like the Data Silk Road and transit/subsea links. She backs a state-funded, privately run national mobile operator and tighter postal/delivery oversight, but warns lasting progress needs modern telecom/cyber/privacy laws and steadfast, independent, transparent management.

ArticleHiyam Al-Yasiri20 min
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Baghdad: A People or a Vehicle City? 

From Fordism to the “American school,” Baghdad inherited car-first design. How can the city become easier to move through—can daily commutes be less of a hassle? With Jane Jacobs, Jeff Speck, and 15-minute-city ideas, this piece shows why wider roads fail—and how walkability and transit win.

ArticleFatima Suhail15 min
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Nahrawan is Classified as an Environmental Danger Zone.. More than 100 Pollutants are Poisoning Baghdad’s Air

Baghdad’s air is choking under 100+ pollution sources—brick kilns alone drive 55% of emissions, and Nahrawan is now officially an environmental danger zone. With crude-burning factories, poorly managed waste sites, and power plants lacking monitoring, how did the city get here—and what would it take to breathe again? Dive into the data map and findings.

ArticleiDATA10 min
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Climate Change and Migration in the Land of Two Rivers

Iraq is heating and drying fast—rainfall down ~10%, Tigris/Euphrates flows down 40%, and 39% of land at risk—pushing rural families to cities (62k since 2019; 23k families by 2024) and abroad. Blending interviews and research, this IN2 brief maps the hardest-hit regions, the health and livelihood toll (dust storms, crop/livestock losses), and offers actionable policies on water management, climate-smart agriculture, and protection for displaced communities.

ArticleRawan Barzan20 min
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When the Grants End: The Employment Dilemma Facing Iraq’s INGO Workforce

As donors pivot to other crises, INGOs are downsizing in Iraq—triggering layoffs, short-term contracts, and redeployments (e.g., ICRC, UN-affiliates, MSF). This piece unpacks the fallout for local staff: skill mismatches with the private sector, pay/benefit gaps, and overreliance on networks—then outlines practical pivots (English leverage, reskilling, consultancy, and starting in entry-level roles) to rebuild careers.

ArticleAnas Morshed20 min
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The Iraqi Stock Market: A Promising Market and a Performance to Watch

ISX momentum is building: 2024 trading topped 690B IQD (+3%), shares traded hit 809B (+17%), and market cap crossed 22T IQD (+19%). ISX60 rose 20.2% in 2024; foreigners turned net buyers by 134% early-2025. Iraq’s entry to ADX’s “Tabadul” opens cross-border trading and IPO access—but watchers flag risks of capital outflow, limited listings (112), and a 49% foreign-ownership cap. The piece outlines what’s next: more listings, an investment-fund law, and broader reforms to deepen liquidity and investor participation.

ArticleTamara Hussein15 min
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Irada: A United Front of Iraq’s Entrepreneurial Enablers

Irada is unifying Iraq’s startup “enablers” into a single, 5-stage pipeline—from Discovery to Funding—linking 10 hubs across 5 cities, bridging startups with regulators (CMC), and improving access to angels and VCs. Early wins include GEW coordination, the nationwide “Raqami” digital-literacy push (with Zain, GIZ, Cisco), and investor visits that led to funding. Next up: a WSA 2025 drive, sustainable funding models, and a potential Techstars program. Read the feature for how this coalition aims to scale Iraqi founders faster.

ArticleAli Hilli10 min
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Rahal is Reshaping the Tourism and Travel Sector in Iraq

Online bookings in Iraq are set to hit 75% by 2029. Rahal—Digital Zone’s online travel agency—connects travelers to 600+ airlines and 350,000 hotels with Qi payments, eSIM in 180+ countries, and 24/7 support, while onboarding Iraqi hotels to cut middlemen. With tourism revenues forecast to reach $1.93B by 2029, Rahal aims to revive domestic tourism and put Iraq’s heritage back on the map.

ArticleMustafa Alaa5 min
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Beyond the Hype: Understanding AI's Evolution, Applications, and Limitations

From Turing and the AI winters to transformers and GPT-4, this piece traces AI’s real arc—then gets practical: accessibility tools, OCR and multimodal document understanding, rapid UI prototyping, and code docs. It also lays out the hard limits (context windows, stale training data, echo-chamber effects, hallucinations, and voice dilution). A clear-eyed guide to what AI can—and can’t—do right now.

ArticleAdham Omran20 min
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Empowering Strategic Leadership Through Innovation, Education, and AI 

What does modern leadership look like when change is constant? This piece argues for a culture of continuous innovation, shows how AI supercharges design thinking (empathize → ideate → prototype → refine), and makes the case for lifelong digital education—highlighting AUIS initiatives—to build adaptable, data-driven leaders who can turn uncertainty into advantage.

ArticleDr. Hemin Latif20 min
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Brewing Change: The Rise of the Specialty Coffee Market in Iraq

Iraq’s coffee culture is moving beyond dark Turkish roasts toward SCA-certified specialty brewing. Since 2022, local roasters, pro training (Baghdad School of Coffee), and faster logistics have energized a home-barista boom—yet murky regulations and global supply strains mean higher prices ahead as cheap coffee fades.

ArticleMohammed Kamal15 min

Issue Information

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Details

  • Issue:16
  • Published:October 3, 2025
  • Articles:15 Articles
  • Tags:13
  • Attachments:1 PDF

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