Caretaker Minister for Commerce, Industries & Investment, Dr Gohar Ejaz reiterated the government’s commitment to making Pakistani markets accessible to the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.
“We intend to achieve this by deepening economic ties with MENA economies,” said the interim minister in a post after discussions with Ahmed Samir, the Minister of Commerce of Egypt, at the 4th Pakistan Africa Trade Development Conference (PATDC) and Single Country Exhibition (SCE) at Cairo on Tuesday.
The caretaker minister shared that the commitment aligns with the ‘Look Africa policy’, emphasising the objective to unlock Pakistan’s economic and trade potential.
“Our focus is on facilitating investment and making markets more accessible, contributing to the broader goals of economic growth and cooperation,” he said.
Dr Ejaz is on a visit to Egypt to boost Pakistan’s trade in MENA region from 09 Jan to 11 Jan 2024.
In talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Dr Ejaz shared that the discussions centred around collaboration in key sectors such as agriculture, textiles, engineering, and services.
“Both parties agreed on the mutual benefits that can arise from expanding economic and trade ties,” he said.
The caretaker minister said that the discussions took place in the presence of policymakers and business leaders from various countries, creating a convergence of diverse ideas and opinions.
Earlier, Dr Ejaz also met with the Minister of Public Enterprises sector of Egypt, Mahmoud Mostafa Kamal Esmat.
“We had a fruitful meeting in the presence of the secretary of commerce and prominent businessmen from Pakistan, where we discussed the potential to deepen Pakistan-Egypt relations via trade & collaborating on Industrial projects,” Dr Ejaz said, in a separate tweet post.
As per officials at the Ministry of Commerce, the 4th edition of PATDC & SCE will see participation from MENA region including Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mali and Mauritania.
A delegation of more than 100 business owners and traders from Pakistan will travel to Cairo for the exhibition.