Snap has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Qatar’s Government Communications Office (GCO) to open a new office in Doha.

The move is part of Snap’s efforts to support and create opportunities for its highly engaged local community in Qatar, as well as work closely with regional partners and MENA businesses.

Hussein Freijeh, General Manager of Snap Inc. in the Middle East said: “Snapchat has a highly engaged community in Qatar and we are delighted to announce our expanding presence in Mena with the opening of a new office in Doha, which reflects our support to Qatar’s growing and vibrant digital landscape. This will also allow us to better serve our local community of Snapchatters, creators and businesses, and invest in developer partnerships to create even more opportunities for digital transformation in Qatar.”

Sheikh Jassim bin Mansour bin Jabor Al Thani, Director of the Government Communications Office, said: “We are pleased to welcome Snap Inc to Qatar and look forward to seeing the Snap community grow. This new office and strategic partnership will help them reach one of the most vibrant and digitally enabled knowledge economies in the region and will allow our citizens to continue to engage with dynamic technology for creative and commercial uses.”

Snap’s MENA leadership team will oversee the Qatar office, with plans to hire a local team to run its operations in the near future.