The Islamic countries should expand Pan-Islamic co-operation to develop trade and industry by enhancing role of entrepreneurship in their economies. Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Excise and Taxation M. A. Jalil stated this, while addressing the concluding session of a five-day OIC workshop on 'Entrepreneurship' organised by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) in collaboration with the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) and Islamic Development Bank (IDB) at a hotel here on Friday.
Smeda Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shahab Khwaja, ICCI Secretary General Aqeel Al Jassem, Union Bank President Shaukat Tareen and Site Association of Industry Chairman Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig also spoke on the occasion.
Over 27 delegates from various Islamic countries, including the UAE, Uganda, Turkey, Turkish Cypriot, Syria, Mozambique, Maldives, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Kyrgyz Republic, Gambia, Comoros, Cote d' Ivoire, Cameroon, Bangladesh and Azerbaijan attended the workshop.
Jalil said that the industry, business and investment could not get a boost until they are provided with the opportunities to grow. The Sindh government is taking various steps to create a conducive environment for doing business in the province, he said, adding that the most important initiative taken by the government was the deregulation and decline in government inspections of the business activities.
He said the private enterprises that had to pass through 42 inspections per year in the past are now subjected to six inspections only.
He said that the provincial committee on investment and Chief Minister's Investment Cell were busy in devising special ways and means to promote an investment-friendly climate in the province.
"The prime focus of our provincial government is to develop the infrastructural facilities at par with the international business needs," the adviser said, adding that mega projects for building modern roads, bypasses, underpasses and overhead bridges coupled with the latest telecommunication, transport and cargo systems were in progress.
He said that an SME Industrial Zone near Northern Bypass on 100 acres of land, an industrial cluster park near Site and an Agro-Export Processing Zone close to the Super Highway would be established to spur pace of industrialisation in the province.
He said that Karachi, being an important industrial and business hub, was also being furnished with two desalination and water treatment plants, one of which would be set up at Karachi Port Trust (KPT) with a cost of about $1 billion.
Aqeel Al Jassem said that the economic scenario before the OIC countries presents manifold challenges and opportunities, particularly in context with the WTO agreement. The Islamic countries need to take stock of their situation and upgrade their skills and utilise their potentials.
He said that the OIC countries have adequate resources and manpower to build a strong synergy and become a source of strength not only within their markets, but also going cross-border and helping the mankind in other parts of the world.
"Our need to survive and succeed in the global village will critically depend on two essential qualities in our business sector, which are "leadership and quality", he said, adding that facing competition with the global giants would require our professionals to have a clearly defined and shared vision and ability to create innovation and quality in our products.
"Managing our resources will be a critical challenge and one of our biggest resources will be people," he said. He said that in the fields of entrepreneurship and human resources development, the OIC countries should focus on leadership skills at the first stage.
He asked the Pakistani authorities to pay attention for promoting tourism.
Mirza Ikhtiar Baig in his speech emphasised upon the need for industrial and business joint ventures among the Islamic countries and urged the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and ICCI to take further initiatives in this regard.
He said Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Malaysia and other members of the 57-nation organisation of the Islamic Conference recognise the need to restructure OIC so that the body representing the interests of the 1.3 billion Muslims in the world become more efficient and relevant.
Shaukat Tareen said that he had set up a special wing to finance SME sector. He was confident that the SME wing in his bank would be helpful to promote entrepreneurship in Pakistan through development of SMEs.
Earlier, during the five-day course of the workshop, 16 working sessions were held, covering various aspects. Representatives of Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Pakistan, Syria and Turkish Northern Cyprus also presented country papers during the workshop.
The participants of the workshop extended their gratitude and appreciation to Ahmed Muhammad Ali, President, Islamic Development Bank, Aqeel Al Jassem and Shahab Khwaja for their support and hospitality.
Later, M.A. Jalil distributed certificates among the participants.
Comments
Comments are closed.