Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Professor Ahsan Iqbal has underlined the need for political stability in the country for sustainable development and bringing the country into line of developed nation.
Addressing the closing ceremony of Global Entrepreneurship Week at the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) here on Thursday, the minister maintained that the world economy is shrinking into a global village and without depositing our share in the global market and it is only possible when there is a congenial, calm and attractive investment in our country.
The minister highlighted the importance of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and termed it a revolution for the development of our economy.
Ahsan Iqbal congratulated the RCCI for its efforts to engage youth for entrepreneurship and said, “Our youth is our future and I want this youth to act pro-actively for the development of this country and bringing it at par with other nations”.
He was of the view that there was a dire need to bridge the gap between academia and industry and emphasized on RCCI to play the role of bridge in this regard.
Federal Minister opined that we have good human resources; especially the number of youth in Pakistan is high who can play vital role in developing economy and establishing healthy entrepreneurship.
Highlighting the importance of entrepreneurship, the minister stated that for becoming a good and successful entrepreneur they should build self believe in their qualities and enhance their skills.
Referring to the achievements of Pakistan, Ahsan Iqbal said that a couple of years back Pakistan was termed as the most dangerous country in the world but the situation changed and due to effective measures by the present government the country’s image and perception has been changed and now Pakistan is known as an emerging economy, “Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch have also changed Pakistan’s ratings into positive”, he added.
The ministry of Planning & Development has launched the Young Development Fellows (YDF) program with world leading universities so that the youth can excel their skills, he concluded.
Earlier, addressing the session, the President RCCI Mian Humayun Pervez welcomed the minister to the chamber and termed it a source of encouragement for the young entrepreneurs as they could see a federal minister among them.
Highlighting the role of RCCI, he said, “Going beyond our conventional role to serve the industry and business, we have stepped in giving students a motivation to opt for business and research partnerships between corporations and universities.”
Talking about the celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), Mian Humayun said that becoming a part of GEW was one of the steps to show RCCI consistency toward this ideology. “Because we believe that High levels of innovation combined with entrepreneurship results in the creation of new ventures as well as new sectors and industries,” he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that GEW was celebrated first time by RCCI in collaboration with its partner universities. During different interactive sessions, the students of these universities actively participated and enhanced their knowledge about developing a successful business.
On this occasion RCCI office bearers including Senior Vice President Saqib Rafique, Vice President Muhammad Aqil Obaid, Group Leader Sheikh Muhammad Shabir, former Presidents RCCI Sohail Altaf, Manzar Khurshid Shaikh and Chairman standing committee on young entrepreneurship, Shahraiz Ashraf Malik were also present while a large number of students from NUML, Fatima Jinnah Women University, APCOM, COMSATS, Positive Pakistan and Roots International College also attended the closing session.
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