Pakistan ready to take off economically, says Gohar Ejaz at Pakistan Africa Trade Conference

The Organization of Pakistan Africa Trade Conference was inaugurated in Cairo, Egypt Tuesday, with the aim of enhancing trade and investment ties between Pakistan and African countries.

The conference was attended by representatives of various sectors, including agriculture, industry, commerce, and finance.

The chief guest of the conference was Gohar Ejaz, the Commerce and Industry Minister of Pakistan, who delivered a keynote speech on the economic potential and vision of Pakistan.

He said that Pakistan was ready to take off economically and had a mission to bring its economy to a thousand billion dollars. He also outlined his plan to increase Pakistan's exports to 100 billion dollars by diversifying its products and markets.

He said that Pakistan was taking steps to increase mutual trade with Egypt and North African countries, which faced similar challenges of inflation and poverty. He said that Pakistan was now focusing on agriculture as a key sector for development and growth.

He announced that millions of acres of land were being allocated for corporate farming in Pakistan, where various agricultural commodities, including wheat, soybean, sesame, and others, would be produced. He also said that Pakistan was developing the livestock sector and establishing slaughterhouses to increase meat exports.

He further said that Pakistan had entered into free trade agreements with several countries and regions, such as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Central Asia, and China.

He claimed that Pakistan was the first country to sign a free trade agreement with the GCC countries, which would open up new opportunities for trade and investment. He also said that Pakistan had made preferential trade agreements with Central Asian countries and had signed a free trade agreement with China, which was its largest trading partner.

He invited Egyptian investors to explore the best investment opportunities in Pakistan, where they could export their products to a large market of 220 million people. He also said that Pakistan would buy Egyptian products, especially in the fields of textiles, leather, and pharmaceuticals.

He acknowledged that Pakistan and Egypt were producing similar products, but said that they should try to increase bilateral trade by complementing each other's strengths. He also said that Pakistan and Egypt should trade together with other Muslim countries, which could become an economic power by joining forces. He said that Muslim countries could develop their people through joint trade and cooperation.