During a high-profile seminar organized jointly by the Institute of Regional Studies, Roots MIUC and the Foreign Office, ambassadors of Egypt, Morrocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Somalia underscored the need for a diversified approach to enhance commercial relations. The African envoys in Islamabad felt that only a holistic approach aimed at leveraging opportunities in multiple sectors, including trade and investment, defence, science and technology, tourism, culture and educational exchanges, would enable Pakistan to benefit from its historical ties with Africa.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, in his keynote speech on the occasion, emphasized the sacrifices made by Pakistani soldiers in Africa during peacekeeping missions and Pakistan’s erstwhile support to African freedom movements. He noted that the peoples of Pakistan and Africa were largely unaware of this remarkable aspect of their bond. To enhance connectivity between the two regions, he advocated travel facilitation from both sides and greater emphasis by the leadership on both sides.
Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, President of IRS, emphasized that increasing cooperation between Pakistan and 54 African states offered a promising future for both regions, as highlighted by the growing trade volume exceeding $ 5.6 billion. He highlighted the need for greater and more diverse engagement across the board, including commercial and defence cooperation, intellectual exchanges, and people-to-people contacts. He also called for promoting knowledge of the opportunities Africa offered among the youth in Pakistan and vice versa, which were essential for building enduring cooperation. He hoped that Pakistan’s expanding diplomatic footprints in Africa would facilitate the revival of historical ties.
African ambassadors touched upon significant challenges Africa faces in establishing robust linkages with the global community. While discussing notable developments within their respective countries, the diplomats also advocated for enhanced knowledge sharing, critical for unlocking the vast untapped opportunities between Africa and Pakistan. Commending Pakistan’s initiatives to increase engagement with African nations, they expressed optimism that, with comprehensive support from Pakistan, the relationship between these two regions could achieve unprecedented levels of connectivity.
Ambassador Sohail Mehmood, Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI), emphasized the longstanding historical ties between Pakistan and African countries, highlighting Pakistan’s support for liberation struggles. Additional Secretary Hamid Asghar Khan from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remarked that improving connectivity in information and communication was essential for strengthening existing linkages. He pointed out that language barriers had been a major impediment to enhancing ties. Walid Mushtaq, CEO of Roots, highlighted the importance of creating an enabling environment to take advantage of emerging opportunities between Pakistan and African nations. Hundreds of researchers, intellectuals and students attended the event.
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The Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) is an Islamabad-based think tank that conducts free, focused research on South Asia's foreign and national affairs, including geostrategic, defense, economic, cultural, health, education, environment, science, technology, and social issues. IRS also works on China, West Asia, and the Central Asian Republics.