President Dr Arif Alvi has said that Pakistan has immense potential to emerge as an economically strong country by adopting critical IT-based innovative technologies to substantially increase agriculture yields, investing in research and development (R&D) to indigenously invent new products, adding value to its industrial production, and bringing youth bulge, especially female population, into the economic mainstream by imparting them market-oriented skills and knowledge. This, he said, could help Pakistan prevent future economic shocks and ensure fast-paced economic growth. He was addressing the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Achievement Awards ceremony, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, today. President LCCI Mian Nauman Kabir, senior office holders of LCCI, and members of the business community attended the event. The President appreciated the leadership role played by LCCI for promoting business trade and investment and encouraging women to enter into businesses and their alleviation to the decision-making levels. He said that continuation of pro-trade, business and investment policies, the consultative decision-making process at all levels in business-related issues and matters, ensuring ease of doing business, adopting innovative business approaches, and passion of businesspersons to achieve optimal growth and development were the essential ingredients for attaining financial and economic stability of the country. He called upon the business community to create a women-friendly environment in business and industrial sectors where their own female family members and other female workers should feel safe and secure to play their roles in the business and economic sector of the country. He also advised LCCI to create online business and employment opportunities for those qualified women who for certain reasons would prefer to work from home. He called upon the women to follow the example of Hazrat Khadija (RA) who was an independent entrepreneur, trader and businesswoman and urged women to endeavour to get their space in the business and economic sectors of the country as active and productive players. The President said that the business and industrial sector would grow faster when we would provide them corruption free, safe and secure and morality-based business environment, settlement of business trade and investment issues in accordance with law and by bringing greater transparency to the economy through documentation and simplifying the systems and processes. Earlier, the representatives of Lahore Chamber and Commerce thanked the President for his continuous patronage to the Chambers of Commerce and Industries and said that under the advice of the President, the Chamber was taking proactive steps for recruiting women in the business and industrial sector at all levels. They said that those business persons who are regular taxpayers should be acknowledged and rewarded.
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