Akhtar: Pakistan - investment friendly destination

"The country is set to grow at a rate of 7% per annum which should help to further raise its per capita income from US$847 per annum to US$ 1557 by 2015. Demand is expected to get stronger as incomes rise further and assuming current population growth trends persist. Pakistan's strategic geopolitical position, due to its proximity to India and China as well as to the oil rich Middle East and untouched central Asia with vast natural resources, potentially carries opportunities which to date have not been properly exploited. Promising for private sector would be the large infrastructure projects which would offer high return in long term but would help enhance access and efficiency in movement of goods within and outside Pakistan.

"If done right, Pakistan can easily integrate itself into the export value added chain of the region as there is adequate room for further growth; investment in these sectors is thus highly feasible. For example, Pakistan still stands relatively low in terms of motorization when compared globally and even within the region. Automakers need to take this into account as the demand clearly exceeds supply. Likewise the supply of electronic goods is still short of the potential demand and any increases will be absorbed by the population which is growing and expected to double over the next 25 years.

Speech by Dr Shamshad Akhtar, Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, at the Pakistan Investment Conference organised by Euromoney, Islamabad, 22 February 2007.

Click here to read the speech