Pakistani origin Mayor of Kenyan City Kisumu Shakeel Shabbir Ahmad has called upon the traders community of Africa to adopt aggressive marketing techniques like India and China to strengthen their business presence in 400 million population market.
During a meting with the Senior Vice-President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI), Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman, he said that Pakistani and Kenyan trade was stuck to only two items ie tea and rice. He added that Kenya was gateway for East Africa and Pakistani business community must become active to make room for it in this market.
He also called for setting up 'Tea Board' in Pakistan. He said potential of exports from Pakistan to Kenya exists in all fields from nut and bolts to textile, leather and medicines.
Regarding pharmaceutical, he said registration in Kenya was a must for this and in this connection he offered his services.
He proposed that four or five Pakistani companies should join hands to open office in Kenya to enhance Pakistani trade.
He said that exports from Pakistan to Kenya had registered 53 percent reduction while imports from Kenya had registered 67 percent increase. He urged the Pakistani companies to make efforts to remove this trade imbalance.
Shakeel Shabbir also said that Kenya was in process of denationalisation. He also called for arranging an exhibition to take benefit of potential of trade in that country.
Speaking on this occasion, Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman stated that Pakistan-Africa trade was only four percent of total trade of Pakistan. He said that a LCCI delegation had visited Kenya in the month of May this year and companies had received orders for embroidery cloth, leather and leather products, agricultural machinery, pharmaceutical and cosmetics.
Khalid Rafiq, Sohail Lashari, Sheikh Muhammad Arshad and Kamal Monnoo were also present on this occasion.