African envoys for enhancing trade, investment

Islamabad: Former Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed has recalled the sacrifices made by Pakistani soldiers in Africa during peacekeeping missions and Pakistan’s erstwhile support to African freedom movements.

Mr Mushahid was delivering keynote speech at a seminar jointly organised here by Institute of Regional Studies, Roots MIUC and Foreign Office.

Mr Mushahid noted that the peoples of Pakistan and Africa were largely unaware of this remarkable aspect of their bond. To enhance connectivity between the two regions, he advocated travel facilitation from both sides and greater emphasis on mutual bond by the leadership on both sides.

Ambassadors of Egypt, Morrocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Somalia underscored the need for a diversified approach to enhance commercial relations. The African envoys in Islamabad felt that only a holistic approach aimed at leveraging opportunities in multiple sectors, including trade, investment, defence, science &technology, tourism, culture and educational exchanges would enable Pakistan to benefit from its historical ties with Africa.

African ambassadors touched upon significant challenges faced by Africa in establishing robust linkages with the global community. While discussing notable developments within their respective countries, the diplomats also advocated for enhanced knowledge sharing, critical for unlocking the vast untapped opportunities that exist between Africa and Pakistan. Commending Pakistan's initiatives aimed at increasing engagement with African nations, they expressed optimism that, with comprehensive support from Pakistan, the relationship between these two regions could achieve unprecedented levels of connectivity.

Sohail Mehmood, Director-General, Institute of Strategic Studies, (ISS), emphasised the longstanding historical ties between Pakistan and African countries, highlighting Pakistan’s support for liberation struggles.

Asghar Khan Hamid, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, remarked that improving connectivity in information and communication was essential for strengthening existing linkages. He pointed out that language barriers had been a major impediment to enhancing ties. Walid Mushtaq, CEO, Roots, highlighted the importance of creating enabling environment to take advantage of emerging opportunities between Pakistan and African nations.

Jauhar Saleem, President, IRS, said that increasing cooperation between Pakistan and 54 African states offered a promising future for both regions as highlighted by the growing trade volume which exceeded $ 5.6 billion, He highlighted the need for greater and more diverse engagement across the board, including commercial and defence cooperation, intellectual exchanges and people-to-people contacts. He also called for promoting knowledge of the opportunities Africa offered among the youth in Pakistan and vice versa, essential for building enduring cooperation and hoped that Pakistan's expanding diplomatic footprints in Africa would facilitate the revival of historical ties.