Shafaq News – Baghdad

On Saturday, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani directed Iraq’s National Higher Committee for Strategies to move ahead with the country’s long-term development vision, Iraq 2050 – Toward Development and the Future.

The plan, described as a strategic roadmap for state transformation, aims to reshape Iraq’s development, economy, governance, and digital infrastructure, including artificial intelligence. Al-Sudani said its implementation must “reflect Iraq’s realities and establish a new national contract that restores confidence in institutions and ensures broad participation in shaping the country’s future, away from short-term policies and reactions.”

According to a statement from the PM’s media office, the vision builds on the prime minister’s ministerial program and seeks to chart Iraq’s trajectory over the next three decades on the basis of sustainable development, social justice, digital transformation, and full sovereignty over decision-making and resources.

In a separate meeting marking the second anniversary of the Supreme Council for Youth, al-Sudani underlined the need for all authorities and institutions to prioritize solutions to the challenges facing Iraqi youth, who make up more than 60% of the population.

He highlighted the government’s Riyada (leadership) initiative, which attracted half a million applicants, with 91,000 completing training, 48,000 passing further stages, and 20,000 loan applications now finalized for small business projects. The initiative aims to develop small enterprises into medium and eventually large companies.

Rebuilding trust, al-Sudani said, requires a program with clear goals and priorities, and optimism about the near future is essential to addressing frustration among young Iraqis. He warned that “some parties, unsettled by stability and success, seek to provoke crises,” but insisted that youth will remain the cornerstone of his government’s national project.