Business

Envoy stresses need for enhancing trade with Niger

Offers support for exploring African market

Our Correspondent March 08, 2022

The Indonesian envoy said that Pakistan could take advantage of the $3 trillion trade market of Asean, for which a comprehensive plan was needed. photo: file

ISLAMABAD:

Africa is an emerging continent with a consumer market of over 1.2 billion and Pakistani business community should focus on Niger to widen its access to the African market for trade and exports, said Pakistan’s Ambassador to Niger Ahmed Ali Sirohey.

Interacting with the business community at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday, the envoy said that Niger was a gateway between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa and the country was keen to promote business relations with Pakistan.

He stressed upon Pakistan’s private sector to explore Niger for business and investment avenues in order to gain better market access to African countries.

He assured the business community of extending all possible cooperation to aid it in exploration of Niger for business opportunities.

Speaking on the occasion, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) President Muhammad Shakeel Munir said that Africa was a massive market however Pakistan failed to tap its actual potential as the bilateral trade volume clocked in at around $4 billion in 2019-20.

“The government has launched Look Africa policy which should boost Pakistan’s trade with the African region,” he held the opinion.

He stressed that the chamber would consider sending a delegation to African countries including Niger in a bid to explore new avenues of promoting trade and exports.

He hoped that Pakistan’s Embassy in Niger would offer all out cooperate to make delegation’s visit fruitful.

ICCI Vice President Muhammad Faheem Khan said that Africa was a growing market for business and investment and urged Pakistan to negotiate preferential trade agreements with Niger and other major economies of the continent.

According to him, the deals would help boost Pakistan’s trade with the region and achieve mutually beneficial results for the economy.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2022.

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