Inside The Middle East

IN FOCUS – Iraq’s Brain Drain

The UN estimates that over two million Iraqis have fled the country since the start of the war. Most of them are highly skilled professionals, including engineers, teachers and doctors. Approximately 40 percent of Iraq's professional class are gone, and this is having a severe impact on human and entrepreneurial capital. Only a handful of professionals have defied the trend to leave and are vowing to stay and rebuild the country. Marketplace Middle East talks to these few and finds out what is making them stay in Iraq.

FACE TIME – Saad Al Barrak, Zain CEO

This week, Marketplace Middle East sits down with Saad Al Barrak, the man who successfully turned the small Kuwaiti telecom company MTC Atheer into Zain. Under his leadership, Zain has transformed itself from a company with 600 000 customers to 45.7 million customers, with operations in 22 countries. This transformation took place in the space of six years, and Al Barrak hopes to expand even further. Saad Al Barrak talks to Marketplace Middle East about his ambitious expansion plans, conquering the African telecom market, and removing roaming tariffs.