SUKKUR: Sindh Industries Minister Manzoor Hussain Wassan on Monday urged industries and academia to collaborate with the government of an exploitation and utilisation of national resources.
The minister expressed these views at a day-long seminar on “Industry-Academia collaboration for the advancement of knowledge and economic development.”
The seminar was organised by the Pakistan Scientific and Technological Information Centre (PASTIC) under its University-Industry Partnership (UIP) Programme in collaboration with the Sukkur’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and IBA.
Sukkur IBA Director Professor Nisar Ahmed Siddiqui, Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) Chairman Professor Dr M Ashraf, PASTIC Director General Dr M Akram Shaikh also spoke on the occasion.
Pakistan is a naturally gifted country with rich resource and self-reliant agriculture; however, we export mostly primary goods and lag far behind in value addition, said the minister, while addressing on the occasion.
“If we establish local industry, then we can generate huge revenue,” he added.
The minister also highlighted various initiatives taken by the Pakistan Peoples’ Party-led government in Sindh for a revival of the industry by establishing new free economic zones.
The country is in dire need of qualified and capable scientists, engineers, and research scholars for state of the art research work and for resolution of many problems, Wassan said.
The current government’s top priority is to improve the quality of life of people of the province; the government has undertaken various initiatives that can produce employment opportunities, increase literacy and put Pakistan among prosperous countries of the world, the minister concluded.