Pakistan and International Trade Center

Dr. Jassim Taqui

DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad, September 25, 2021: The second round of hybrid consultations focusing on Plan of Action review for the development of the priority sector export strategies was concluded in Karachi.

Hundreds of public and private sector representatives participated in the review and approval process of the priorities for the next five years in each of their sectors.

For Pakistan to achieve its trade growth ambition, the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) and TDAP are developing a coherent and comprehensive Strategic Trade Development Framework (STPF) focusing on 17 priority sectors. As part of the National Priority Sectors Export Strategy (NPSES), the International Trade Centre (ITC) is supporting MoC to develop 10 strategies directly stemming from the STPF priorities. 

The STPF priority sectors’ strategies design process will focus on developing actionable plans to increase their export competitiveness in the global market. The STPF priority sectors covered by the NPSES include engineering goods, leather, processed food and beverages, fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, pharmaceuticals, software development and services, business process outsourcing, logistics, and institutional coordination.

The development of the priority sector export strategies will aim to reduce barriers to international trade growth which can become a key driver for Pakistan’s economic recovery in a post-pandemic world. The sector strategies will enable the potential for companies in Pakistan to diversify and improve their competitiveness and exports, better participate in global and regional value chains, and move up the quality ladder, by innovating, producing, and exporting higher-value products, and marketing through branding and promotion.

Each sector session invited industry stakeholders to review and validate the Action Plans while agreeing on the responsibilities for each implementing agency. In addition to key national institutions and private sector representatives, development partners were also invited to support the implementation of the sector strategies.

These consultations are conducted by MOC and TDAP and are directly aligned with the ambitions of the Government of Pakistan to develop exports. The newly formed National Export Deve­lopment Board (NEDB) will further steer the implementation of the STPF and the sector strategies through Sector Advisory Councils (SAC).

 “The NPSES comes at a crucial time for Pakistan. As the hon. Prime Minister of Pakistan emphasized the need to boost Pakistani exports, the NPSES will provide a tangible and concrete roadmap for the Government and private sector to work together towards this goal, while creating jobs and new opportunities for Pakistan. The NPSES will reflect the needs of Pakistani exporters and the Ministry is committed to implementing the Plans of Action that will emanate from it” said Sualeh Ahmad Faruqi, the Federal Secretary of Commerce of Pakistan.

The development of the NPSES is supported by the Revenue Mobilisation, Investment and Trade (ReMIT) Programme, implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC), and funded by the United Kingdom Government through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).