American Ambassador Hale Celebrates Global Entrepreneurship Week

American Ambassador Hale Celebrates Global Entrepreneurship Week

Al-Bab Report

Islamabad, November 17, 2016 – American Ambassador David Hale hosted a reception for members of Pakistan’s entrepreneurship community to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW). He was joined by guest of honor Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunications Anusha Rahman Khan.  Several members of Pakistan’s delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), who traveled to Silicon Valley in June, were also in attendance.  Pakistan sent the largest foreign delegation to the GES, a point which Ambassador Hale lauded as evidence of the country’s economic vibrancy.

The reception was the capstone of several Embassy events celebrating Pakistan’s entrepreneurs and U.S.-Pakistan cooperation in this sphere.  To begin the week’s activities, State Department Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Angela Aggeler met with a group of young Pakistani entrepreneurs to discuss the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship. 

Other events included a meeting between members of the agricultural industry and the entrepreneurial scene which focused on boosting productivity in the agricultural sector through the adoption of new technologies, and a forum for women entrepreneurs and students to share their experiences in starting companies. 

Various U.S. Embassy programs assist Pakistani entrepreneurs by increasing their access to financial resources, supporting opportunities for entrepreneurship education, and nurturing an entrepreneurial culture, including the United States Agency for International Development’s Pakistan Private Investment Initiative, which will make over $100 million in equity capital available to Pakistan’s dynamic and fast-growing small and medium-sized businesses.