African nations: Pakistan stresses need for fulfilling development aid promises

Pakistan has called for stepping up efforts to bring under control conflicts and crises afflicting Africa, and stressed the need for fulfilling the promises made to 54-nation continent for development assistance.
"Challenges faced by Africa are colossal but the opportunities, the means and the resources to address those challenges are also immense," Ambassador Masood Khan, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN, told the UN General Assembly.
Speaking in a thematic debate on the promotion of investment in Africa, he urged African nations continue to work towards streamlining their investment policies and making themselves attractive for private capital inflows.
Masood Khan underscored the need for investing in African agriculture to help alleviate poverty and to pave the way for the continent to become the grain basket for the world. "This will be a win-win option".
Pakistan, he said, had consistently backed the political and economic aspirations of Africa, noting that Islamabad was a proud contributor to United Nations Peacekeeping Missions in the continent.
"Our military and civilian personnel have been part of peacekeeping, peacemaking and peace building efforts in Africa."
In the context of South-South Cooperation, he said, Pakistan has been providing assistance to African countries since 1986, pointing out hundreds of young African professionals had received training in diverse fields, including public administration, management, banking, diplomacy, and customs as well as the military field.
Pakistan's trade and investment in Africa was increasing, Masood Khan said. "Our skilled manpower is helping African development," he said, adding, "We would continue this mutually beneficial partnership and hope to play an important role in realizing the African dream."
He believed that the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), an African Union strategic framework for pan-African socio-economic development, provided an overarching vision and policy framework for accelerating economic cooperation and integration among African countries.