Governor NWFP Lieutenant General Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah (Retd) on Tuesday formally inaugurated Industry & Trade Advisory Cell (ITAC) at Sarhad Chamber.
The ITAC is the joint venture of Small & Medium Entrepreneurs Development Authority (Smeda) and Sarhad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI), which was a longstanding demand of the business community of the province.
For the establishment of the cell both Smeda and SCCI have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on October 25 last year.
Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah advised the entrepreneurs of the province to make their own consortium; develop linkages with the foreign investors; invest in hydel sector to generate electricity as captive power and utilise it themselves for ensuring viable industrialisation in the province.
The Governor said that nature has blessed this province with abundance of opportunities for hydel power generation. "We should neither look for anyone else to provide us cheap electricity nor demand extra-ordinary incentives for level playing field rather we should ourselves create this opportunity by pooling our own resources," he added.
Beside a large number of traders and industrialists, the function was also attended by a visiting two-member representative mission of World Bank.
Similar approach, the governor said, should be adopted towards the recently explored gas reservoirs at Gurguri in District Karak, which are almost three times high than our current total consumption at the provincial level.
The entrepreneurs, he added should come forward with practicable proposals; launch industrial units at the site and offer the government to utilise this facility on the spot.
In fact, he added, we are now at the highly advantageous position both in respect of hydel power generation and gas availability.
In this connection, the governor also stressed the need for focussing upon the development of small and medium industrial units and said, "no doubt some big industrial units of particular nature exist in this area since long yet their contribution towards the further promotion of this sector is negligible mainly owing to the lack of subsidiary units.
Therefore, the Governor remarked, it is the high time to spare no effort in the expansion of industrial network.
Regarding the demands and suggestions made in the presentation of Nauman Wazir, chairman ITAC, he assured that he would talk to government on the matter of Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Tevta).
He said that big industrial units never bring revolution, saying that small and medium industries level ground for it. However, he said, first of all it require preparation of infrastructure.
Shahab Khawaja, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Smeda; President SCCI Adeel Rauf; Nauman Wazir, chairman ITAC, and Mohsin Aziz also addressed the function.
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