ISLAMABAD: The two-day Pakistan-Africa Trade Development Conference (PATDC) would commence from January 30th in Nairobi.
As per details, the Ministry of Commerce would organise PATDC on Jan 30 and 31 under its ‘Look Africa Policy Initiative’. A high-level delegation, under the supervision of Adviser to PM on Commerce Razzaq Dawood and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, would participate in this conference.
In addition, around 100 traders/exporters of the focused sectors, such as textile and apparel, pharmaceuticals, agriculture (rice, sugar, wheat etc.), tractors & agricultural implements, banking, transportation, surgical instruments, leather & sports goods, light engineering & electronics, IT & software and cement, would also be present on the occasion.
According to sources, the Kenyan president would inaugurate as well as participate in the conference, which would also be attended by 47 governors of Kenya. Besides, five traders/importers/exporters from the emerging economies, including South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Eritrea, Algeria, Nigeria, Niger, Tunisia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Libya and Senegal, would also participate in the conference.
Under the ‘Look Africa Policy Initiative’, Pakistan was now focusing on Africa as a new frontier of export.
Talking to this scribe, Pakistan High Commission’s newly appointed Commercial Counsellor in Nairobi L D Khan said that this conference was a major step towards diversification of market and products.
“This initiative has been taken by the MoC to reap the potential benefits of trade and to capitalise on commercial opportunities in the emerging continent.”
He said that Pakistan has taken the initiative to capture African market at par with other competitors i.e. India, China, Bangladesh.
“MoC is striving hard to bring Pakistani and African public and private sectors at one place so that the dream of shared growth could be realised,” he added.
