Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Transport Undersecretary HE Mohammed Abdullah Al-Maadeed today inaugurated the 2nd edition of the Autonomous e-Mobility Forum (AEMOB), which runs this September 7-9 at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC).
The MOT is the Host and Strategic Partner of the event, organized by Just us & Otto.
The two Undersecretaries of the Ministry of Municipality HE Ali bin Mohammed bin Ali Al Ali and of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change HE Abdulaziz bin Ahmad Al Mahmoud attended the opening ceremony, in addition to several high-profile officials and transportation industry entity chiefs.
In his keynote address, HE Al-Maadeed said that the transportation industry is seeing a qualitative transformation; it is no longer merely a service industry that supports development plans and meets their operational and economic requirements. Rather, he said, it has grown beyond its original role—in an era where development is increasingly linked to efficiency, sustainability, and integration—and become a strategic industry and key driver of development, thereby contributing to enhanced economic competitiveness, improved efficiency across various industries, and a better quality of life.
Given such a growing role, he noted, the transition to electric mobility and autonomous driving systems stands out as a defining feature of the industry's future. While this transformation offers promising opportunities, he said, it also presents fundamental challenges—ranging from energy requirements and digital infrastructure readiness to ensuring safety and reliability, developing regulatory frameworks, and ultimately building national capabilities and localizing technologies.
HE Al-Maadeed said that addressing these challenges requires not just partial or isolated solutions, but a comprehensive and coordinated approach based on an unconventional partnership among governments, the private sector, and research institutions.
Given these fast-paced global transformations, he said, the State of Qatar—guided by its wise leadership and an ambitious national vision—is heading right on toward building a modern and sustainable transportation system and has over the past years invested in advanced infrastructure, including modern road networks, a metro system, and state-of-the-art public transit fleets, alongside integrated ports, airports, and logistics zones.
The MOT Undersecretary added that consistent with the directions of the Qatar Third National Development Strategy (NDS3), the focus is shifting from infrastructure construction to maximizing the utilization of existing infrastructure and this involves expanding electric mobility, developing digital infrastructure, implementing intelligent transportation systems, and preparing for rolling out autonomous vehicles.
HE Al-Maadeed also inaugurated and toured the Forum’s accompanying exhibition alongside several officials where they inspected some of the newest autonomous and e-mobility technologies on display.
Day 1 included several penal discussions, including the MOT-led “Integration, Planning and Sustainability – A Future Look” that highlighted Qatar’s efforts of building a smart, integrated, and sustainable transportation ecosystem driven by modern technologies in a way that helps enhance integration of all transportation modes.
This year’s AEMOB Forum brings together more than 40 international and regional speakers, representing government, industry, academia, technology, research and the wider mobility ecosystem.
Across its two-day professional conference, AEMOB Forum 2026 will feature more than 50 keynote sessions and panel discussions spanning 10 dedicated mobility and industry tracks, creating a multidisciplinary program exploring autonomous and electric mobility through technology, policy, regulation, sustainability, infrastructure, research, public adoption and real-world implementation.
Further, building on the success of the Forum’s inaugural edition in 2024, AEMOB Forum 2026 will extend beyond its professional conference through a strong community program. Activities including the SME Competition, Startup Showcase and 3-Minute Thesis Challenge will provide additional platforms for entrepreneurs, start-ups, students, young professionals and emerging innovators to engage with the mobility sector and contribute ideas to its future development.
Alongside its conference and community programs, AEMOB Forum 2026 will feature more than 20 exhibition spaces at QNCC, bringing autonomous vehicles, electric mobility solutions, smart infrastructure technologies and emerging innovations directly to delegates and visitors.
