| Falling oil prices will pose a challenge to GCC hydrocarbon exporters unless governments step up their diversification efforts and develop more export industries, according to a new report by ICAEW. In its latest quarterly Economic Insight report, produced by its partner, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), the accountancy and finance body says expanding competitiveness across a broader range of export industries will require improvements in education, skills and innovation to be successful.
According to Economic Insight: Middle East Q2 2014, GCC economies are now more dependent on commodity exports than they were 10 years ago despite the diversification agenda. Commodities still account for 86.8 per cent of Saudi Arabia's total goods exports by value and nearly two thirds of the UAE's. Even Bahrain, with the fewest hydrocarbon resources of any GCC economy, relies on commodity exports for nearly three-quarters of goods exports.........................................Full Article: Source
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