ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said Thursday that the import/ export gap is a major roadblock in sustainable development, which the government aims to reduce in the coming years.
He was addressing the inaugural session of flagship conferences, Pakistan Leadership Conversation (PLC 2022), organised by the ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Pakistan, in collaboration with SEED Ventures.
Tarin was the chief guest and shared his thoughts on rethinking public financial management and how the government lead the recovery after the pandemic.
He said, “The COVID-19 health crisis quickly turned into a global economic crisis. Pakistan suffered significant loss as a result of the global pandemic to ensure consistent growth. Pakistan government is focusing its efforts towards inclusive and sustainable development. Productivity and growth in the agricultural sector will lead to increased industrialization. Innovating and developing the agricultural sector is imperative to this goal”.
He further added, “A significant roadblock in sustainable development is the import/export gap which the government aims to reduce in the years to come. Govt’s policy focus on IT sector to harness its potential to exponentially contribute to exports and support Pakistan’s balance of payments”.
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Malik Amin Aslam, Federal Minister of Climate Change/ Special Assistant to Prime Minister joined the event as Guest of Honour.
Speaking on the theme of sustainable growth, he said “Pakistan is on the top 10 list for countries most affected by climate change for over a decade. The government’s vision is focused on two main pillars for climate action. Pakistan is focusing on being a part of the solution with initiatives such as the promotion of clean energy use. We also continue to trust and invest in nature as climate risk needs to be looked not only just from an ecological lens but also an economical lens.”
The fourth edition of PLC centred on the theme “Rethinking our world: Sustainable growth for Pakistan” and brought together leading policymakers, thought leaders, corporate influencers, academia and business operators for a dialogue centred on the power of digital, sustainability/ ESG, ethics and future ready workforce.
The first session, titled, “Beyond the pandemic - Roadmap to Pakistan’s economic recovery” featured Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, Minister of State and Chairman - Board of Investment, Pakistan, Ayla Majid, ACCA Council Member, Founder and CEO Planetive, Sardar Abubakr, SEVP - Mobilink Microfinance Bank, Barkan Saeed - CEO Viztech, Hassan Daud Butt, CEO - KP Board of Investment & Trade, Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director - SDPI and Noorul Ain Zafar, Head of Department Professional Qualifications, TMUC.
The second session featured Javed Iqbal, CCO – STZA, Parvez Abbasi, Project Director - National Incubation Centre Islamabad, Aqsa Satti, Marketing Executive, ACCA Pakistan, Haroon Ahmad Jan, Regional Head of Member Affairs, ACCA MESA, Mujeeb Zahur, MD - S&P Global, Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary, CEO - Universal Service Fund, Ali Naseer, Chief Business Officer – Jazz, Yasser Khan, VP of Products – QisstPay to discuss the topic, “Putting Pakistan on the Global Digital Map ~ Leapfrog into the future”.
Dr Faisal Mushtaq (TI), Founder and Chairman - The Millennium Education Pakistan also joined the event and spoke on the power of future ready workforce.
Helen Brand OBE, Chief Executive, ACCA Global joined the PLC 2022 virtually and highlighted ACCA’s contributions and continued commitment to sustainable development, saying, “For ACCA, as accountants and as leaders, it’s about driving good well-considered decisions and business strategies, that consider people and the planet, as well as profit. It’s about a new way of keeping score in business, a new way of measuring success and counting value that considers wider measures than the financial bottom line. It must include impacts on the environment and impacts on society too.”
Speaking at the event, Assad Hameed Khan, Head of ACCA Pakistan shared his thoughts on Pakistan’s path to a sustainable economy, ‘‘ACCA is committed to positively influencing governments, policy makers and regulators on sustainability matters, and develop the profession in alignment with the SDGs. ACCA and ACCA members continue to contribute, collaborate and converge thought leaders to bring conversations that explore high impact action items to drive an inclusive social and economic growth for a sustainable Pakistan.”
ACCA also hosted another ceremony in the evening for their newly qualified ACCA members and High Achievers titled, “New Members and High Achievers Ceremony 2022” that celebrated their achievements as they continue to embark on their professional journey, committed to contribute to a sustainable Pakistan.
Andleeb Abbas, Parliamentary Secretary - Ministry of Foreign Affairs joined in as the chief guest.
Orla Collins, President, ACCA Global sent in her message where spoke about her own experiences, saying, “No matter how the landscape changes in the years to come – and change it will - you know that ACCA will be there with you. ACCA will be there for you - offering all the help, advice and support you could need or want.”
Starting in 2017, PLC has now become an important annual event for those who want to stay up to date with the ever-evolving business world and accountancy profession. It has also cemented ACCA’s role as a super connector for key stakeholders. The event was broadcasted live on ACCA’s social media pages with over two million followers as well as ACCA’s global audience which includes 233,000 members and 536,000 future members.
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