Expo offers an ideal platform to showcase innovative ideas

Expo 2020 Dubai provides an ideal platform to global businesses to share their innovative ideas and experiences with participating nations and explore trade and investment opportunities during the six-month long exhibition, says a top official of the Punjab government.

Dr Erfa Iqbal, chief executive of Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT), said the province has pitched many infrastructure and development projects to international investors on the sidelines of Expo 2020.

Referring to the province’s flagship project Ravi Urban Development and Lahore’s Central Business District (CBD), she said these initiatives have been showcased by our own organisations such as Ravi Urban Development Authority (Ruda), CBD, and the Bank of Punjab. In addition, tourism potential of the province has been displayed very effectively at the Pakistan Pavilion.

“Expo 2020 Dubai is a huge opportunity for us. Conducting such a mega event is a huge task and I keep my fingers crossed that this month will end successfully for us. We achieve what we want to achieve here. This will definitely work out in favour of PBIT Insha Allah,” Dr Erfa told Khaleej Times during an interview on the sidelines of an event in Dubai.

“At multiple forums, we have seminars inside as well as outside the Expo pavilion. I would like to share with you that a deal has already been made for the pipeline between Ruda and some foreign Investors,” she added.

Showcasing strength of Pakistan

Dr Erfa said whole activity [Expo 2020 participation] is about showcasing the strength of Pakistan and its provinces.

“We are here to become a part of the international community and that is why our slogan is #PunjabEase Going Global. Our slogan explains why we are here, what are the expectations, and what we hope to achieve.

“PunjabEase indicates the ease of doing business through various initiatives which have been taken by the Punjab government to facilitate the investors and businessmen. Our slogan ‘going global’ is very descriptive in that we are holding hands with the business community and bringing them to this global stage,” she added.

Exploring international market

Dr Erfa said the Punjab government has provided an opportunity to the enterprise businesses in the country to introduce their brands at the international stage through an active participation in the Expo.

“We targeted enterprise businesses who want to explore international markets by introducing their products and services. In addition, we also preferred groups who are looking for investment opportunities. We aim to bring them at Expo 2020 and then connect them with the international business community and Pakistani diaspora in Dubai,” she added.

Tourism, medical potential

Dr Erfa said the Punjab province has also showcased its tourism potential at Expo 2020.

“We are focusing on different different aspects of tourism that include adventure tourism, health tourism, and religious tourism. The different faiths and cultures in Pakistan and specifically in Punjab, have been displayed at the Pakistan Pavilion to promote religious hormony and tolerance and it will pave the way for religious tourism,” she said.

In a similar way, a renowned health team will be visiting the Expo soon to share the details of our health departments, healthcare systems and hospitals to promote medical tourism in the country.

“Moving from tourism to culture, here we have a big cultural troupe perform everyday in the courtyard of Pakistan Pavilion. We also got the opportunity of going on a bigger stage; the jublee stage at the Expo venue. It was a huge success and received a very good response in the international media,” she said.

“The international community thoroughly enjoyed our cultural music, dhol and bhangra of Punjab. This is the softer and productive side of Pakistan,” she added.

Facilitating businesses

Dr Erfa said more than 16 public sector departments are part of the government delegation at the Expo 2020.

“The visiting delegations will be connected to their counterparts in Dubai and a range of seminars and panels discussions have been arranged at Pakistan Pavilion. Also the venues outside the Expo are all aiming to promote joint ventures and economic development projects,” she said.

In reply to a question, she said PBIT is offering some of the mega developments in key sectors of the economy to the UAE and international investors.

“As I said, multiple projects are being showcased here, specifically related to infrastructure and IT. These are the areas we would like to focus more in addition to conventional sectors which are agriculture, livestock, and textile. Of course, the industrial sector as well that I discussed before and economic zones which focus on industrial development and industrial corporation.

“I would like to add that in order to promote small and medium enterprises (SMEs), we are registering them. We have a launch portal for registration of SMEs and we will sharing its data with the international community so that these SMEs truly become global. The second portal that we launched with the help of Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) is for startups and we received a remarkable response in a few days time. More than 300 business startups registered at that portal and then a joint technical committee of PITB and PBIT evaluated the projects and short listed 25 of them to present at international forums such as Expo 2020 Dubai,” Dr Erfa elaborated.

Collaboration with UAE investors

— muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimescom