Nearly 140 Factories Opened in Zakho Over Five Years, Shekho Says
Gohdar Shekho says nearly 140 factories have opened in Zakho in five years as new auto, tourism and industrial projects accelerate economic diversification.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Zakho is moving toward becoming an important industrial center for both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, Gohdar Shekho, Supervisor of the Zakho Independent Administration, said Sunday as several major industrial, commercial and tourism projects were inaugurated or advanced in the area.
Speaking during a ceremony attended by Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Oct. 25, Shekho said nearly 140 factories had opened in Zakho during the past five years, while six additional factory licenses had recently been issued.
The expansion, he said, forms part of efforts to diversify Zakho's economy beyond a single sector and increase employment opportunities for young people.
“Following the Prime Minister's directives, we have worked to diversify the economy of the area in the industrial, tourism and agricultural sectors,” Shekho said.
He said continued investment in those sectors would strengthen Zakho's economic position and predicted that the area would soon become an important industrial hub at the level of both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
Sunday's program included the inauguration of the Golden Global Development project, which serves as Nissan's main vehicle distribution hub and staff training center for the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
The $20.155 million facility receives around 2,000 Nissan vehicles each month through the Ibrahim Khalil International Border Crossing before they are distributed to cities across Iraq.
According to the project details presented Sunday, the development is expected to create 357 jobs and includes a vehicle yard, inspection center, bodywork workshop, quality-control center, spare-parts warehouse, plastic-mat manufacturing workshop and an electric charging area.
Shekho also highlighted the laying of foundation stones for the Jetour automobile manufacturing plant and the Motor Plex Iraq project as further additions to Zakho's developing investment landscape.
Motor Plex Iraq, valued at $15 million, will be built over 89 dunams and is planned as a sports and tourism complex. The project will include an automobile museum, a venue for car racing events, a vehicle testing area and an open-air restaurant.
It is also expected to provide dozens of employment opportunities for local residents.
Shekho described the new projects as part of a wider effort to generate economic activity across industry, tourism and agriculture. He welcomed Prime Minister Barzani to the ceremony and said the Prime Minister's visits to Zakho had been accompanied by new strategic projects and economic activity in the area.
The latest investments come as the Zakho Independent Administration continues to develop both its commercial and tourism infrastructure.
Prime Minister Barzani's Sunday program also included visits connected to Zakho's tourism development, including the Zakho corniche and the Toga Porto Marina investment project.
The Toga Porto Marina development, which includes a series of cafés and restaurants, is in its final stages, according to earlier Kurdistan24 reporting.
Taken together, the factory expansion, automotive projects and tourism investments reflect the diversification strategy described by Shekho. His remarks placed industrial development at the center of Zakho's next economic phase, with additional factory licensing and large-scale private investment expected to expand employment and strengthen the area's role within the wider Kurdistan Region and Iraqi economy.