BoI to hold CPEC B2B investment conference

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The Board of Investment (BOI) Pakistan will organise ‘China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Industrial Cooperation Business to Business (B2B) Investment Conference’ in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Nov 25 in collaboration with the KPBOIT.

Over 250 participants for the conference will be selected based on the conference themes and the keenness shown to invest in Pakistan, and interest in collaborating with their counterparts.

The project director of PMU, CPEC Industrial Cooperation BOI Asim Ayub stated that this B2B investment conference would focus on CPEC priority sectors to facilitate cooperation and linkages between Pakistani and foreign businessmen and entrepreneurs.

He said the conference would also focus on academia, tourism, food processing, mines and minerals, construction (infrastructure development) and others.

It was a platform where the BOI would facilitate matchmaking and handholding of Chinese and foreign companies with their Pakistani counterparts, he added.

He said it was agreed that nine Special Economic Zones (SEZs) would be established across the country.

The SEZs and other industrial parks of the KP will also be brought into the spotlight.

The PM’s Office, BOI and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China were assigned the task to further the process of bilateral cooperation under the CPEC, with the objective of transforming the CPEC into a true economic corridor by establishing SEZs and business ventures in various sectors.

The conference would also focus on marketing sectoral investment opportunities in the KP under the ambit of industrial cooperation under the CPEC, to exhibit ready to launch products in various sectors.

He said “We are committed to create awareness about Pakistan’s investment framework and role of BOI being the convener of Joint Working Group of Industrial Cooperation under CPEC.”

The project director of PMU said the government would facilitate interaction by providing a suitable platform to foreign and local businessmen and entrepreneurs under the auspices of the CPEC.

He said the conference would exhibit KP potentials in various sectors including ready to launch projects for JVs and the B2B cooperation.

A day long B2B forum would cover different aspects but its main focus would remain on exploration of Pakistan sectoral potentials.

The participating firms would be selected on the basis of the aspects under Pakistan’s Industrial Cooperation Journey through the CPEC.

The conference would also explore the opportunities in the KP potential investment sectors in collaboration with the KP government, and relevant public and private stakeholders.

The government also invited foreign companies and China to invest in Pakistan through the Public-Private Partnerships for business prospects.

Interested local and foreign businesses/investors are requested to register themselves through the link: https://forms.gle/YHE7yrnwwz1xDmSA9.

Video conference options will also be made available for those who could not physically attend the event and ‘matchmaking’ of concrete investment opportunities in the KP potential investment sectors.

With a view of achieving its objectives, the conference will be structured to include plenary context setting and sessions around priority sectors and the SEZs with high-level speakers from the public and private sectors and the B2B meetings.