The Kurdistan Region's Board of Investment headquarters in Erbil
Kurdistan Region grants 210 investment licenses, a rise over 2024 figures
ERBIL — The Kurdistan Region’s Board of Investment announced that it has issued 210 investment licenses across various sectors in 2025, with projects covering housing, industry, agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing.
At a press conference on Monday, Board Chairman Mohammed Shukri said “the Kurdistan Regional Government aims to make the private sector a genuine partner in investment and economic development.”
He noted that licenses were distributed among local and foreign investors.
Shukri said the private sector has directly created 161,000 job opportunities for the people of Kurdistan, with thousands more indirectly supported.
In comparison, the board issued 179 licenses in 2024, with the highest number in Erbil at 71 projects, followed by 36 in Duhok and 29 in Sulaymaniyah.
Shukri emphasized that seven projects had their licenses revoked in 2025 for failing to comply with regulations.
In October, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Tourism Board said that 80 tourism projects have been carried out across the region since 2019, with total investments exceeding $7.5 billion.