Pakistan and Ethiopia have agreed to deepen economic cooperation and expand bilateral trade, industrial collaboration, and regional connectivity, as both sides explored new opportunities across African markets during a high-level meeting in Islamabad.<\/p>\n
Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and H.E. Dr. Oumer Hussein Oba held a detailed meeting to review the growing momentum in Pakistan\u2013Ethiopia relations and stressed the need to convert diplomatic engagement into practical, results-oriented economic partnerships. The Commerce Minister said recent interactions have created a \u201cfresh foundation\u201d for jointly exploring markets in Africa and beyond.<\/p>\n
The Minister proposed organizing a multi-country business forum in Islamabad, inviting East African nations to observe Pakistan\u2019s industrial capabilities. He said such exposure would help reshape international perceptions and open new avenues for trade and investment cooperation.<\/p>\n
Highlighting Pakistan\u2019s economic strengths, the Minister underscored the country\u2019s SME sector, which produces home appliances, engineering goods, agricultural machinery, and consumer products. He pointed to strong potential in agriculture, engineering industries, and tractors, noting Pakistan\u2019s expertise could support mechanization and productivity in African economies.<\/p>\n
A key focus of the discussions was the cosmetics and personal care sector, where the Minister highlighted rapid growth in Pakistan over the past four to five years. He suggested joint ventures between Pakistani and Ethiopian companies in cosmetics, perfumes, and related industries to meet rising demand in both markets.<\/p>\n
Referring to industrial success stories, the Minister invited the Ethiopian delegation to visit Sialkot, describing it as a model of private-sector-led development. He noted that the Sialkot business community, through the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has developed its own infrastructure, including an international airport. The city remains a global hub for sports goods, surgical instruments, leather, and footwear, with exports worth billions of dollars.<\/p>\n
On trade logistics, the Minister emphasized improving connectivity and reducing reliance on transshipment hubs such as Jebel Ali Port. He proposed direct maritime feeder services to African ports to reduce transit time from 10\u201312 days to 2\u20133 days.<\/p>\n
He further highlighted Karachi\u2019s geographic advantage as a gateway for African exports to Central Asia via regional maritime routes, including Djibouti Port.<\/p>\n
The Minister also described tourism as a major untapped sector, calling Ethiopia\u2019s natural landscape \u201ctruly amazing\u201d while referring to Pakistan as a \u201csleeping giant\u201d in tourism potential.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, H.E. Dr. Oumer Hussein Oba informed that a Single Country Exhibition of Ethiopia will be held in Islamabad later this year, following a successful exhibition in Ethiopia. The Commerce Minister welcomed the initiative and termed it a significant step in strengthening bilateral trade relations.
\nThe Ethiopian Ambassador also shared plans by Ethiopian Airlines to launch direct flights to Lahore, aimed at boosting business-to-business linkages, connectivity, and cultural exchange.<\/p>\n
The Ethiopian side appreciated Pakistan\u2019s economic progress, skilled workforce, and hospitality sector, emphasizing human capital as a key driver of development. Dr. Oba called for enhanced cooperation in education, skills development, and institutional capacity building.<\/p>\n
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral trade, promoting joint ventures, and strengthening long-term economic cooperation through diversification, industrial collaboration, tourism development, and practical business engagement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pakistan and Ethiopia have agreed to deepen economic cooperation and expand bilateral trade, industrial collaboration, and regional connectivity, as both sides explored new opportunities across African markets during a high-level meeting in Islamabad. Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and H.E. Dr. Oumer Hussein Oba held a detailed meeting to review the growing momentum […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":73845,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,16],"tags":[103],"ppma_author":[213],"class_list":{"0":"post-73844","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest","8":"category-pakistan","9":"tag-top-stories"},"yoast_head":"\n