Qatar aims to enact a law on public-private partnerships (PPPs) by the end of 2016, as part of efforts to boost its private sector and ease the strain on government finances caused by low oil prices, according to a Reuters report.

The country’s ministry of economy and commerce will submit a draft PPP law to the cabinet by August, Saud Al Attiyah, an official at the ministry, said.

“We hope to have the framework completed and start implementing the law by the end of the year,” he said at a financial conference in the capital Doha.

In PPPs, private investors take stakes in projects along with the government, bearing part of the risk and sharing profits. In 2015, Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation signed a contract with a Japanese-led consortium to develop a $3-billion water and power project – but the new law would make PPPs easier to operate and expand their use into other sectors. The new PPP framework would present opportunities in sport, health and education, including a programme to build between 10 and 12 public schools.