NFIS CAPACITY BUILDING WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDS SEZS

The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has urged the government to set up special economic zones (SEZ) in the country in fulfillment of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy ( NFIS) agenda of the World Bank, State Bank of Pakistan ( SBP) and Ministry of Finance (MoF) shared leadership on fast track.
Zulfikar Thaver as chairman Capacity Building Working Group of NFIS appreciated the setting up of the Sindh Investment Wing and thanked Ahsan Ali Mangi secretary investment for convening a meeting on 5th March 2019 at the behest of UNISAME. He informed the stakeholders that the CBWG has recommended for creating SEZ for SMEs all over the country.
Thaver stressed the need for other provinces as well to set up investment wing and follow the example of Sindh and excel one another.
He said basically the private sector promoters of SEZs need to fully understand the facilities and incentives offered to the SME sector. There is an urgent requirement of the sector for the setting up of SEZs in the country. Land has become very expensive and the provinces must examine the giving of land at concession for setting up new industries in the outskirts of the cities and rural areas wherever feasible.
The participants comprising of trade leaders of the Pakistan Weaving Mills Association (PWMA) experienced designers, builders and officials of Public Private Partnership (PPP), SMEDA, SEDF, SEZ ,and National Bank of Pakistan discussed the requirements of the sector and assured full support.
The trade leaders sought assurance for incentives of tax holiday , concessional rates of finance, facility of one window operation through the Investment Department. The facility of uninterrupted energy, gas and water supplies was emphasized. They also requested protection and conducive environment. They requested the investment department to expedite the applications for state of the art industrial estates.
Ahsan Ali Mangi secretary investment Sindh impressed the stakeholders with his positive friendly and enthusiastic approach and promised to make things happen.
He called for a complete proposal for the project and assured support and help at every stage.
The participants namely Yousuf Yacoob President PWMA, Kashif Riaz SG PWMA,
Irfan Moton, Shoaib Dalal, Representative of DG Public Private Partnership,
Mukesh Kumar Provincial Chief SMEDA Mubashir Ahmed SVP NBP
Tahseen Ahmed CEO Logix, Azhar Iqbal Siddiqui and Muhammad Raza and Zain Ali of Deak Jae and Junaid Naqi informed the stakeholders of their support and role in the proposed first private sector SEZ. Azeem Uquaili CEO SEZ and Mahboob ul Haq MD SEDF and the director of Public & Private Partnership and Bilal Saleem deputy secretary ( investment department ) Sindh promised full co-operation.

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