FM arrives in Kenya to attend Pak-Africa Trade Conference

NAIROBI (92 News) – Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mehmood Qureshi has arrived in Kenya to attend the first-ever two-day Pakistan-Africa Trade Development Conference beginning in Nairobi from tomorrow. The conference is being hosted jointly by Pakistan and Kenya and will also be attended by dignitaries from other African States. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Advisor to the Prime Minister for Commerce, Trade and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood will address the Inaugural Session. During the visit, the foreign minister will also hold meetings with the Kenyan leadership including Cabinet Secretaries for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, African Community and Northern Corridor Development. The conference will provide an important opportunity for Pakistani and African businesses to interface, identify the areas for enhanced engagement, and develop proposals for customized economic collaboration. Africa’s increasing integration and growth momentum together with Pakistan’s potential as a connectivity hub have opened multiple avenues for win-win collaboration. Before leaving, in a video message before departure to Kenya, the minister said that Pakistan is moving ahead on economic diplomacy pursuing it as a principle in foreign policy. He said the Foreign Office is organizing “Engage Africa” conference in Kenya to enhance trade and investment in the African continent. FM Qureshi said Advisor on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood will chair the conference and a delegation of about one hundred businessmen from Pakistan will accompany him. He said important personalities of the business community in African countries have also been invited to the conference with an aim to increase the volume of trade and investment with the African countries. The foreign minister said he will call on the Kenyan president and also hold a meeting with his Kenyan counterpart. He further said he will make efforts to strengthen and expand Pakistan’s relations not only with Kenya, but other African countries as well.