Prepared by: Assistant Lecturer Hamid Jasim Alwan Department of Business Administration The Grand Faw Port Project is one of Iraq’s most significant strategic infrastructure projects, with considerable potential to transform the country’s economic position and strengthen its role in regional and international trade. The port’s distinctive design provides extensive operational space and significantly expands Iraq’s maritime frontage. It is also designed to reduce the need for a separate navigational channel connected to Khor Abdullah, thereby enhancing its operational efficiency and strategic importance. The project is associated with plans for an oil-export facility with a capacity of up to 10 million barrels per day. It also includes an industrial city covering approximately 350 square kilometers, intended to accommodate around 500,000 residents. These components are expected to support industrial development, create employment opportunities, stimulate investment, and strengthen Iraq’s capacity to diversify its economy beyond its traditional dependence on oil revenues. The original plans for the project envisaged a construction period of only three years, reflecting the ambition to establish the port as a major regional commercial and logistical hub. However, the actual implementation period depends on construction progress, financing arrangements, and the completion of associated infrastructure. The project has also attracted attention in connection with international financing and foreign investment. Earlier proposals included a reported financing arrangement involving the French financial institution BNP Paribas, with a proposed value of approximately USD 12 billion, to be repaid from oil revenues over a period of twenty years. South Korea’s Daewoo Engineering & Construction Company has also participated in the project, undertaking works that include port berths, an immersed tunnel, breakwaters, and other infrastructure facilities. Despite the technical, financial, and logistical challenges associated with a project of this scale, efforts to complete the Grand Faw Port continue to represent an important step toward strengthening Iraq’s economic and strategic position. Once fully developed and integrated with its associated transport and industrial infrastructure, the port could improve international trade connectivity, facilitate the movement of goods, attract domestic and foreign investment, and establish new opportunities for sustainable economic growth. Ultimately, the Grand Faw Port Project represents more than a major maritime infrastructure development. It is a strategic investment in Iraq’s economic future, with the potential to enhance national competitiveness, expand non-oil economic activities, and strengthen the country’s position within regional and global supply chains.