The Pak Oman Micro Finance Bank was officially inaugurated at the Sindh Governor House on Sunday, said a press release issued on Tuesday.
President General Pervez Musharraf delivered the inaugural address, while Ahmed Macki, Minister of National Economy, Sultanate of Oman spoke of the ties of friendship between Oman and Pakistan and lauded the opening of the Pak-Oman Micro finance Bank, the statement added.
Chairman of the Board, Yahya Al- Jabri, Federal Minister of Commerce Sultanate of Oman Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, Sindh governor, chief minister and senior officials from the private and public sector organisations also participated in the ceremony.
The Pak Oman Micro finance Bank has been spearheaded by MD/CEO Pak Oman Investment Company Zafar Iqbal, on the specific instructions of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.
The Pak Oman Micro finance Bank is the first true private sector micro finance institution with nation-wide operations servicing both rural and urban populations. The bank under the guidance of its first president Ozair Hanafi, will set up an extensive network starting with branches in all four provinces, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Tando Allahyar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock and Gwadar.
The president in his inaugural address stressed the importance of the SME sector and micro finance in the long-term poverty alleviation aims of the government.
He lauded the efforts of Pak-Oman Investment Company and appreciated the pivotal role of the Government of the Sultanate of Oman in setting up the Micro Finance Bank and reiterated the hope that more micro credit and micro finance institutions would be set up in Pakistan.
"By assisting in the creation of sustainable income opportunities for the lower strata of population, particularly women, Pak Oman's Micro finance Bank will aim to augment the government of Pakistan's efforts to alleviate poverty in the country," said Ozair Hanafi, MD/CEO Pak Oman Micro Finance Bank.
The Bank will be led by a professional Board with Yahya Bin Said Bin Abdullah Al-Jabri as Chairman, who is also the Chairman of Pak Oman Investment Company.-PR