The Prime Minister has directed enhanced engagement with Africa, prioritising trade, investment and commercial ties as Pakistan advances its Pakistan Africa policy. The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan will stage a single-country exhibition in Addis Ababa from 16 to 18 October 2025, organised with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Pakistani embassy, expected to feature over 100 Pakistani exhibitors seeking market links across the continent.
Hamid Asghar Khan, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, chaired a roundtable with African envoys in Islamabad on Pakistan Africa connectivity hosted by the Center of Pakistan and International Relations in collaboration with the Pakistan in the World media group. He outlined initiatives to deepen bilateral cooperation and assured envoys that proposals would be taken up for implementation.
The roundtable was attended by prominent figures including Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed as keynote speaker, former official and business consultant Saleem Ahmad Ranjha, Amna Malik of COPAIR, Zahid Lateef Khan, spiritual personality Dr Afshan Malik and Tazeen Akhtar. Ten ambassadors, high commissioners and deputy heads of mission from African missions participated, representing Algeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Somalia, Morocco and Ghana.
Envoys described existing cooperation and identified gaps that, if addressed, could significantly boost bilateral trade. Mr Hamid Asghar Khan emphasised practical connectivity measures under the engage Africa policy, citing efforts to establish direct air links between Pakistan and Ethiopia and plans to develop direct shipping and port connectivity with East African ports to reduce reliance on third-party routes.
Delegates reviewed concrete project-level collaborations already under way: an MoU between Algeria and Pakistan’s Fatima Group to enhance phosphate fertilizer production; cooperation with Rwanda on waste management and environmental safety; private sector agricultural projects with Nigeria; tea trade initiatives with Kenya; a joint venture between Fauji Fertilizer and Morocco on phosphoric acid; a Pakistani football factory in Cairo facilitated by Egypt; and a Pakistani-built cement plant in the DRC established by a Pakistani entrepreneur who serves as honorary consul of the DRC in Karachi.
Mr Hamid Asghar Khan underlined the depth of Pakistan’s ties with Africa, recalling that some 280 Pakistani soldiers sacrificed their lives while serving on UN peacekeeping missions on the continent. He described Africa as “the continent of today,” home to 1.6 billion people across 54 countries, and said Pakistani trade with Africa has the potential to grow well beyond the current estimated USD 5.4 billion per annum.
Highlighting sectoral potential, he noted that healthcare alone could expand bilateral trade to USD 10 billion if direct trade channels and stronger private sector engagement are prioritised. A pharma industry expert at the roundtable answered technical queries while Mr Raheel Sajjad, General Manager North at al-Baraka Bank, explained reliable trade transaction mechanisms through the bank’s five branches in various African countries.
Mr Hamid Asghar Khan urged the private sector to pursue B2B ties and joint ventures to realise trade opportunities and stressed ending costly intermediaries that inflate prices for consumers. He also encouraged cultural and people-to-people activities such as food, music and fashion festivals and expanded educational exchanges to deepen ties between youth on both sides.
Speakers praised markets across the continent and highlighted diaspora links, noting South Africa hosts some 250,000 legal Pakistani nationals who contribute to trade and business. Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed reflected on decades of engagement from Algeria to Zimbabwe and expressed confidence that Pakistan and African countries will elevate cooperation to new heights through sustained project-level work.
