ISLAMABAD: A Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) delegation working for various government organisations in Pakistan Friday visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry to discuss reforms in key sectors of the economy. Yuko Tanaka, Mei Saito, JICA expert for Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, Shunichi Uchida, JICA expert for Engineering Development Board and Hiroko Hayashi of Asia Engineering Consultant Co Ltd were members of the delegation that visited the ICCI. The JICA members said that they wanted to get the input of private sector for further reforms in the key sectors of the economy. They said that they were working for developing an investment guidebook for Pakistan in order to lure more local and foreign investment. They said that suggestions of business community would be given due consideration for marking them part of investment guidebook. They said they wanted automation of Pakistan’s industry so that it could achieve better growth. They said that Japanese companies needed easy access to Pakistani market that would strengthen bilateral business relations between the two countries. Both sides discussed a plan to organise a seminar at ICCI to highlight the potential areas of cooperation between Pakistan and Japan. The delegation assured to make suggestions and input of business community part of their recommendations for economic reforms in Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion, ICCI President Sheikh Amir Waheed said that the TDAP should prepare feasibility studies on trade/exports promotion with various countries and upload on its websites so that private sector could take benefit of them for promoting trade and exports. He said that the government should provide more funds to Pakistani commercial councillors in foreign countries so that they could cooperate with private sector in identifying new markets for Pakistani products. He said that to improve gender parity, the government should offer special incentives to women entrepreneurs for their economic empowerment and bringing them to the mainstream of economy. He said that the TDAP should focus on promoting trade with regional countries that offered great potential for exports. He said that the Board of Investment should come up with attractive policies and incentives for foreign investors to bring more FDI to the country that would help improve exports and reduce dependence on foreign borrowing. He said EDB should focus on strengthening engineering industry to promote exports of engineering goods that had great demand in the world. Muhammad Naveed, senior vice president said that instead of making Pakistan a trading hub, the government should focus on industrialisation. He said free trade agreements FTAs signed with various countries should also be revised as the accords had not fully benefited the private sector in promoting trade. Published in Daily Times, March 17th 2018.