ISLAMABAD, NOV 2 /DNA/ – Oumer H. Oba, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, visited the Sundar Industrial Estate on Monday to explore bilateral cooperation with traders, entrepreneurs and industrialists from Punjab province of Pakistan.
The main discussions took place at a business forum with members of the Sundar Trade and Industry Association (STIA), as well as an interactive session with a delegation of the executives of the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical sectors led by Ghullam Bassi, CEO G.T Pharma.
At the business forum, Ambassador Dr. Oumer held detailed discussions with STIA members from diverse sectors, including agriculture, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, surgical goods, nutraceuticals and fertilizers. He briefed them on Ethiopia’s economic transformation and the competitive advantages of doing business there, from affordable, sustainable and uninterrupted energy supply to a skilled labour force and access to wider African markets.
He also highlighted the incentives available to foreign investors and the ease of doing business, including one-window operations, investment guarantees, profit repatriation and zero-rated taxes for specific sectors.
He invited the STIA members to join an exploratory visit to Ethiopia, which would give them first-hand experience of the country’s facilities for foreign investors, its economic development and its prosperity.
President STIA Muhammad Irfan Qadri underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation between the two nations, assuring the Ambassador of his full support for mobilizing a delegation of STIA to Ethiopia.
He appreciated the Ethiopian economic development, highlighting business and investment opportunities for STIA members in Ethiopia.
Chairman PIEDMC, Shahzad Ahmed Khan, and Senior Vice President STIA also spoke on the occasion.
During the interactive session with the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical sectors, the Ambassador addressed their queries and assured them of the initiatives being taken to strengthen the bilateral trade and investment partnership between the two countries.
The visit to the Industrial Estate also included tours of two major industrial units, in agricultural mechanization and textile spinning. The delegation also paid a visit to the industrial unit Ferozsons and BF Bio Sciences and explored the avenues of bilateral cooperation with its top management.
The Ambassador also planted saplings at the premises of the industrial units to highlight Ethiopia-Pakistan shared commitment to climate resilience.
