United Business Group Urges Focus on Untapped African Markets

Leading figures from the United Business Group (UBG) have underscored the critical need to aggressively pursue Africa’s significant economic opportunities through well-aimed marketing initiatives.

Africa, the world’s second-largest continent, encompasses 54 independent nations, boasting a combined GDP of roughly $2.9 trillion and an import market exceeding $600 billion. Despite robust diplomatic relations between Pakistan and numerous African countries, its trade presence remains limited.

UBG representatives Zubair Tufail, Momin Ali Malik, Khalid Tawab, Hanif Gohar, Malik Khuda Bakhsh, and Mazhar Ali Nasir observed that Pakistan’s current exports to the African area are only $1.66 billion, a figure substantially lower than India’s exports, which surpass $30 billion. A primary challenge identified is a lack of trust arising from inadequate banking infrastructure and restricted trade support.

They emphasized that Pakistan possesses considerable export capabilities in established industries, including rice, mangoes, sporting goods, surgical instruments, medicines, leather, dairy products, fresh produce, and textiles.

UBG President Zubair Tufail suggested that Pakistan should deploy exploratory delegations to vital African markets to evaluate and develop sustainable commercial prospects. They advised the government to fully utilize Pakistani embassies and trade offices in the region for this objective.

They further suggested that Pakistani missions in Africa establish on-site display facilities to promote Pakistani goods available for export. This would aid in increasing awareness and building commercial ties with local importers.

They further noted that the continent provides diverse marketplaces with varying quality standards and reduced regulatory barriers, particularly in terms of Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) regulations and technical certifications, while discussing Africa’s diverse economic landscape.

They emphasized that a sizable portion of Africa’s population is Muslim, giving Pakistan a special chance to establish itself as a top provider of Halal-certified products, given the worldwide scarcity of Halal goods.

Finally, they pinpointed Kenya, Mauritius, Ghana, South Africa, and Morocco as strategic entry points to the African continent because of their geographic positioning and trade infrastructure.

The leaders urged the government to strengthen banking and trade facilitation efforts to assist exporters in accessing this market, which has enormous potential but is mostly untapped.