ISLAMABAD: A two-day first Pakistan-Africa Trade Development Conference will begin at Nairobi on Thursday.

The conference is being hosted jointly by Pakistan and Kenya and will also be attended by dignitaries from other African States.        

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.        

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 & International Trade, African Community and Northern Corridor Development.

In a video message before leaving for Kenya, FM Qureshi had said that Pakistan was going forward on an economic diplomacy following it as a foreign-policy concept.

Also Read: FM Qureshi leaves for Kenya to attend ‘Engage Africa’ conference

He had said Pakistan’s Foreign Office was organizing “Engage Africa” conference in Kenya to boost trade and investment across the African continent.

The minister had said trade advisor Abdul Razak Dawood will chair the conference, and will be accompanied by a delegation of about one hundred Pakistani businessmen.

He had said significant business community leaders in African countries were also invited to the conference with a view to increasing the volume of trade and investment with African countries.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said he would call on Kenya’s President and also hold a meeting with his counterpart from Kenya.

The foreign minister had said he will make efforts not only to improve and extend Pakistan’s ties with Kenya, but also with other African countries.