LAHORE: The Italian investors are willing to invest in Pakistan, said Ambassador of Italy Stefano Pontecorvo.
Speaking at the first day of ‘Seminar on investment opportunities in Pakistan’ in Italy, the ambassador said that more than 40 Italian companies have expressed their interest to explore the opportunities in the Pakistani market. He said that this is a great occasion for the Pakistani businessmen to have a more structured approach to Italian manufacturers and he hoped that fruitful partnerships would follow.
Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) CEO Amena Cheema said that SMEs are considered the backbone of Italy’s economy and there is great potential for cooperation through joint ventures between SMEs on both sides, particularly in the field of Information and Communications Technology.
She spoke about the demand of Italian products in Pakistan and elaborated on the growing importance of the country with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor underway.
A documentary titled ‘Punjab- the land of opportunities’ was shown at the seminar after which Cheema also shed light on the potential of various sectors in Punjab and the available projects for investment through a comprehensive presentation.
Many B2B, G2B and G2G meetings are expected to take place on the second day of event. Pakistan is of strategic importance to Italy, in 2015 alone, Italy exported more than €400 million worth of goods to Pakistan, but the overall trade volume shows that there is great potential ahead.
