Chinese investors to bring $150b after CPEC: BoI chief

Insists country will need skilled manpower in many industries post-CPEC

ISLAMABAD: Board of Investment (BoI) Chairman Dr Miftah Ismail has voiced hope that after completion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), $150 billion worth of investment would be brought by Chinese investors in Pakistan.

“In the post-CPEC scenario, we will require skilled manpower to work in various industries in all provinces of the country,” he said while delivering a speech at the three-day 19th Sustainable Development Conference on the theme of “Sustainable Development: Envisaging the Future Together”.

The conference was organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).



Ismail emphasised that the government was keenly focusing on removing regional disparity and paving the way for equal development in all provinces, especially the remote regions.

Balochistan would get more benefits from CPEC and Gwadar Port would play a pivotal role in providing connectivity and enhancing regional trade opportunities, he said.



“CPEC will promote economic integration and regional connectivity for development and prosperity in the region,” Ismail said. “All provinces and regions have a shared opportunity for infrastructure development and industrial growth, which provides employment opportunities and ensures prosperity in the country.”

Turning to energy projects, he said work had got under way on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline while Central Asia-South Asia 1,000-megawatt power supply project would also meet energy needs of Pakistan.

Earlier speaking at the inaugural session, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz underlined the need for South-South collaboration for peace and prosperity in the region.

He also highlighted the importance of regional and international cooperation for meeting new targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He called for more investment, adopting new technologies, building capacity and identifying barriers to achieve the targets of SDGs and Vision 2025.

While chairing the inaugural session, Federal Minister of Climate Change Zahid Hamid said the government’s Vision 2025 had seven pillars and 25 goals, which were fully in line with the SDGs.

He insisted that implementation of the development agenda was possible with global and regional cooperation and CPEC was an example of that cooperation.

SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri said the conference provided a platform for evaluating and learning “what we have done wrong to avoid these mistakes in the future”.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2016.

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