Pakistan can create 1m jobs through Amazon

SMEDA CEO says inclusion of Pakistan in Amazon’s seller list will add $1b to export receipts

LAHORE:

Pakistan’s inclusion in Amazon’s seller list has created a room for producing one million new jobs in the e-commerce sector and adding $1 billion to export receipts, said Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) Chief Executive Officer Hashim Raza.

Commenting on the opportunities created by Amazon for Pakistan’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on Monday, he said that the recent approval got by the Ministry of Commerce to add Pakistan to Amazon’s seller list had opened up new opportunities for the local SMEs.

“We have developed a programme to prepare our SMEs to take complete advantage of the new opportunities offered by Amazon,” he said.

He announced that Smeda would hold a series of training programmes across the country in collaboration with leading experts from the e-commerce sector and related institutions to enhance awareness of Amazon’s procedures and requirements among the SMEs.

Read more: Pakistan Post proposed as Amazon’s delivery partner

Under the programme, the SMEs would also be trained to improve the quality and packaging of their products as per the standards set by Amazon, he added. The Smeda CEO announced that the first training programme of the series would be held on June 14, 2021 in the form of a webinar and over 600 SMEs would participate in it.

He was confident that the target of one million jobs in the e-commerce sector would be met along with increase of $1 billion in exports if all the public and private sector organisations worked in close collaboration. He emphasised that Smeda had developed working cohesion with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and other relevant departments at the provincial and federal levels.

He appealed to trade bodies and e-commerce organisations to collaborate with Smeda in its endeavours to promote e-commerce in line with Amazon’s requirements.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2021.

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