PESHAWAR: Business community has demanded the provincial government to play its due role in making proper operationalization of the Investment Facilitation Centre (IFC)/ Web portal project, which is being established at Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).
This was the crux of the meeting between the UNDP delegation led by its National Technical Specialist Abdul Haseeb and Hasnain Khurshid Ahmad, in a meeting here at the Chamber House, presided over by the president SCCI.
Traders emphasized that cooperation of the provincial government is vital to make IFC/web portal a successful project, which was jointly launched by the Chamber and Smeda with financial assistance of UNDP at the Chamber House.
The participants urged the provincial relevant departments to take serious steps for full operationalization of the IFC/Web portal, a project meant to attract investment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially to address issues of business community under one-window operation.
SCCI senior vice president Imran Khan Mohmand, former president Sherbaz Bilour, UNDP Enterprises Development Specialist Salman Ahmad Khan and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Faisal Israr and others were present.
The meeting agreed to hold meetings with Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan, Additional Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah along with relevant government officials in order to take up issues that were hampering proper operationalization of IFC/Web portal.
“The sitting thoroughly reviewed the hiccups and glitches in the way of better functioning of the IFC/Web portal project and proposed a number of suggestions to address them amicably.”
The SCCI president told the meeting that despite the formal inauguration of the IFC/Web portal project, the government departments are showing lack of interest and non-seriousness to make such an important initiative, which is solely for attracting investment and resolving business community issues in K-P, a success.
“We are ready to cooperate at every level for better run and making functional of this project, but it is essential to take measures at governmental level for this purpose”,
He praised the businessmen for providing employment opportunities, as well as, playing a pivotal role in economic development of the province.
Hasnain Khurshid urged the UNDP to provide financial assistance for development of small and medium enterprises and small-scale manufacturing units, which had adversely suffered by novel coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
Besides, he suggested launching a special skill training programme for industrial workers.
On the occasion, the UNDP representative Abdul Haseeb apprised the organisation of interventions in economic growth in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially newly merged districts (NMDs}, saying that UNDP has planned to launch a special project to provide training in different skills to overcome unemployment issues.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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