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British Business Centre and Sindh Board of Investment sign MoU

MOU signed between British Business Centre and Sindh Board of Investment to encourage trade between UK and Pakistan

British Business Centre and Sindh Board of Investment sign MoU

Senior British and Pakistani officials witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 24 February 2016 at the British Deputy High Commission in Karachi.

The MoU was signed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the British Business Centre, Malahat Awan, and the Director General of the Sindh Board of Investment, Iftikhar Ali Shallwan. It will facilitate and expand trade and investment cooperation between the United Kingdom and the Province of Sindh through:

  • the exchange of information on economic, commercial and industrial matters
  • specific business opportunities available in Sindh and the United Kingdom

Signing ceremony

Present at the ceremony were:

  • Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Senior Minister of Finance and Energy
  • British Deputy High Commissioner
  • UK Trade Champion, John Tucknott MBE
  • Naheed Memon , Chairperson of the Sindh Board of Investment

At the ceremony, the Senior Minister of Finance & Energy, Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah said:

I am honoured and delighted to come here today and witness the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the British Business Centre and the Sindh Board of Investment. Two of Pakistan’s three ports are located in Sindh.

The country’s financial capital, and largest city, Karachi, is also located in Sindh. We already see a strong British trade and investment presence in Sindh and with this agreement we hope more British businesses and investors will to come and see firsthand the opportunities that Sindh and Pakistan overall has to offer.

The British Deputy High Commissioner, John Tucknott MBE said:

The UK already enjoys a strong relationship with Pakistan in the key area of prosperity. The British Business Centre’s goal is to contribute to an increase in bilateral trade and investment, in line with the commitments made by Prime Ministers David Cameron and Nawaz Sharif when they met in London in April 2014.We welcome the support that the Sindh Board of Investment is extending towards the Centre in order to help achieve this goal.

Chairperson of the Sindh Board of Investment, Naheed Memon said:

This is a very welcome agreement. The Sindh Board of Investment is fully committed to assist this new initiative by the British Government to bring more trade and investment opportunities from the United Kingdom to Sindh. We have appointed Mr. Abrar Shaikh to oversee implementation of the MoU as we move forward.

British Business Centre in Pakistan

The British Business Centre is a new body set up to assist British and Pakistani businesses develop closer links.

The British Business Centre will provide a base for visiting UK companies and offer access to a number of services to UK and Pakistani member companies including:

  • market research
  • business opportunity promotion
  • event management
  • networking opportunities
  • bespoke professional and sector specific services

Contacts

Contact the British Deputy High Commission in Karachi or visit www.bbcpk.org for further information on the British Business Centre, including membership.

Published 8 March 2016