Pakistan’s SMEs call for Africa market access amid Gulf export disruptions
新闻台署名 来源：新华社、《黎明报》、《阿拉伯新闻》、阿纳多卢通讯社与《分钟镜报》。由 GSRRA 编辑部翻译并节选。
- SMEs requested government support for organising business-to-business (B2B) meetings
Pakistan’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have warned that disruptions in the Red Sea and tensions in the Middle East are hurting exports to key Gulf markets, prompting calls for government support to diversify shipments towards Africa.
The development came during a meeting between Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and a delegation of the Gujranwala Small Chamber of Commerce, where both sides discussed challenges confronting Pakistan’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs), export promotion, industrial competitiveness, access to finance, and regulatory reforms.
Welcoming the delegation, the minister said SMEs are the backbone of Pakistan’s manufacturing sector and play a critical role in employment generation, industrial development and export growth. He emphasised that strengthening SMEs remains a key priority of the Government.
The delegation highlighted the adverse impact of regional tensions and disruptions in the Red Sea on exports to traditional Middle Eastern markets, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, and stressed the need to explore new destinations, particularly in Africa.
The delegation also requested government support for organising business-to-business (B2B) meetings and trade delegations in African markets to help Pakistani businesses establish commercial linkages.
Jam Kamal acknowledged Africa’s growing economic potential and encouraged Pakistani businesses to actively explore emerging markets. He noted that Africa’s expanding population and demand for competitively priced products present significant opportunities for Pakistan’s engineering, metal, home appliance and light manufacturing sectors.
The meeting also focused on the high cost of doing business, with participants identifying energy prices, taxation, access to affordable finance and outdated industrial machinery as major constraints.
The minister said the government is actively pursuing reforms to improve industrial competitiveness, promote technology upgradation and encourage modernisation through better access to financing.
Referring to the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of Pakistan, Jam informed the delegation that the government is expediting export financing and credit guarantee facilities to facilitate exporters. He encouraged businesses to approach commercial banks for EXIM-backed financing and assured them that the ministry would address genuine issues faced by exporters in accessing these facilities.
The delegation also raised concerns regarding delays in sales tax refunds, shortage of recycled raw materials, and challenges faced by small manufacturers operating in the formal sector.
The minister agreed that refund mechanisms should be further improved to ease liquidity pressures on exporters and emphasised the need for balanced policies that support both export growth and domestic manufacturing.
Discussing industrial development, Jam Kamal stressed the importance of reverse engineering, automation, product standardisation and the development of strong vendor industries. He observed that adopting internationally recognised standards and promoting industrial clusters would improve productivity, strengthen supply chains and enhance Pakistan’s export competitiveness.
He also highlighted the government’s ongoing efforts to simplify regulations and reduce the cost of doing business. He said a high-level committee constituted under the directions of the prime minister is reviewing overlapping licensing and regulatory requirements across various ministries and departments to streamline procedures through digitalisation and eliminate unnecessary approvals.
The delegation further emphasised the need to curb the informal economy, strengthen enforcement against undocumented businesses and create a level playing field for compliant manufacturers. The Minister agreed that formal industries should be encouraged through fair and transparent policies that reward compliance and support sustainable industrial growth.
Reference Link:- https://www.brecorder.com/news/40432512
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
