ISLAMABAD: Khawaja Aftab Ahmed, the Regional Director at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for the Middle East, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, met with the Caretaker Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Muhammad Sami Saeed.
They explored opportunities to enhance IFC’s involvement in Pakistan during their discussion. Khawaja Aftab was accompanied by his team, including Zeeshan Sheikh, the Country Manager of IFC for Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The meeting was attended by the CEO of the P3A Board, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, the Chief Economist of Pakistan, Dr. Nadeem Javaid, and Member of the Private Sector Development Planning Commission, Asim Saeed.
The IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, provides investment, advisory, and asset management services to promote private sector investments in developing countries.
Minister Sami Saeed commended the corporation’s role in advancing private sector development in Pakistan and discussed potential avenues for increased IFC engagement in the country. They specifically considered trade finance, microfinance, agriculture, and other key sectors.
Sami Saeed informed the delegation about the recently established Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), which prioritizes five key sectors of the national economy: agriculture, information technology, mining and minerals, defense production, and energy.
He highlighted the one-window facility established to attract foreign investment and urged the IFC to provide necessary support to both public and private sector companies in these sectors.
The SIFC represents an economic revival plan implemented through a whole-of-government approach. The Regional Director assured the Planning Minister of the IFC’s ongoing support in the identified key areas, and the minister, in turn, pledged to provide all necessary facilitation to the IFC in this regard. —APP
