Baghdad: Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani chaired the 48th regular session of the Cabinet, where several new decisions were made to address unemployment and infrastructure development. During the session, the Cabinet reviewed the country's latest developments and discussed various agenda items.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, the Cabinet approved an initiative by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to launch a loan program aimed at unemployed individuals. This program will provide loans for registered unemployed individuals to purchase modern passenger vehicles, with the goal of reducing unemployment rates. These loans will be available to those with appropriate driver's licenses, and specialized transportation companies will be qualified to employ these borrowers for government contracts. An electronic application will be developed to facilitate transportation requests for citizens, including students and private sector employees. Bank cards will be used for monthly disbursements and social security contributions.
Additionally, the Cabinet decided to replace a land allocation in Basra Governorate with alternative land in the Martyr Wissam Camp for Ministry of Defense personnel. This adjustment was necessary due to the unavailability of the original land designated by Cabinet Resolution No. 250 of 2025.
In terms of energy projects, the Cabinet approved the establishment of the Musayyib thermal power plant in Babylon Governorate, with a capacity of 1,220 megawatts. The Cabinet also extended electricity supply contracts until December 31, 2025, for the northern region and approved an addendum for the Anbar combined-cycle power plant project under the Chinese framework agreement, which includes opening supplementary credit for transformer costs.
The Ministry of Oil received approval to sign a memorandum of understanding for an integrated energy project in Nineveh Governorate, involving the Qayyarah and Najma oil fields. The Cabinet also reviewed the Basra-Shalamcheh railway project, approving an increase in the deduction rate for outstanding advances to ensure proper implementation.
Regarding business and investment environment improvements, the Cabinet amended Resolution No. 245 of 2019 to streamline entry visas, transitioning from a paper-based to an electronic system in line with the Ministry of Interior's guidelines.
Lastly, the Cabinet addressed accounting discrepancies related to advances and receivables lost during ISIS incursions and approved property allocations for security offices by governorates as per the National Security Service's list. The session concluded with a focus on completing stalled and infrastructure projects.