Dr Salman Shah highlighted agriculture, services, manufacturing, skills and service delivery to the public as key priorities for the government of Punjab. He also informed the team on the composition of PPP Board under the chairmanship of chief minister and how the government has already approved projects worth 10-billion rupees in PPP mode in its maiden meeting. He further added that the PPP authority has been established just for the purpose of making processes and approvals easy for the private sector and the long term plan is to make the authority self-sufficient in funding to avoid delays. He also added that the authority will prepare a three year business plan for Punjab and work closely with the chief minister office to create a suitable ecosystem as well as market for PPP projects in Punjab and to gain the confidence of the private sector to participate in the process.

Dr Shah highlighted areas where ADB can provide support and build capacity within institutions of the government of Punjab like contract management, financial frameworks, and building staff capability.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019