The Federal Administered Tribal Area (FATA) need developmental activities to promote economic growth, create job opportunities and improve the living conditions of tribal people, says the President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) Muhammad Ijaz Abbasi.
He was speaking to Gordon Studebaker, a Private Sector Specialist of Chemonics International and Ms Saadiya Aswad, Program Officer of JE Austin at the ICCI here on Friday.
Chemonics International and JE Austin are managing "Fata Development Program" with USAID to improve the competitiveness of key Fata economic sectors. The programme components include an emphasis on the youth and their livelihoods, revitalising the community infrastructure and essential services, as well as enterprise and value chain development.
Abbasi said that the Fata Development Program would play a key role in uplifting the living standards of the people by initiating development work and stimulating as well as promoting business and investment activities in the region. He added that FATA is blessed with many natural resources including precious stones, marble, gems, mines, minerals and forests. However, "due to a lack of funds, the region could not exploit these resources fully to create more economic activities in the area", he lamented.
The ICCI head said that Fata needs development in sectors like education, health, water supply, sanitation, agriculture, livestock, forestry, fisheries, irrigation, and skill development to bring it to par with developed areas of the country. He hoped that the Chemonics International and JE Austin initiatives will lead to a further improvement in services, the upgrading of infrastructure, promotion of sustainable uses for natural resources and bolster activity in the trade, commerce and industrial sectors.
Ijaz Abbasi assured Studebaker and Aswad that the ICCI will extend its full co-operation in determining the needs of Fata businesses and identifying wealth-creation gaps so that greater revenue goes to Fata based enterprises, producers and farmers. Studebaker and Aswad said Chemonics International and JE Austin are focusing on South Fata comprising the Khyber, Orakzai and Kurram agencies.
They will also work in the frontier regions of Kohat, Karak, Bannu and DI Khan, North Wasiristan and South Waziristan to initiate business uplifting activities to boost the competitiveness of Fata enterprises. They said their training efforts would target mechanics, carpentry, and mosaic creations while their project level and cluster grants will target organisations, community groups and associations.