LAHORE: The third session of the Public-Private Dialogue Council (PPD) Council was held at a local hotel on Wednesday. The session was organised by the Investment Climate Reform Unit (ICRU), the Planning and Development Department (P&DD).
Chaired by P&D Board Chairman Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, and attended by a number of prominent stakeholders from across the public and private sector, the session took stock of the deliberations of the previous sessions for inclusive development and devised reform agendas to advocate improvements in the business environment with an aim to put in place the policies that would create an enabling environment for investments leading to economic growth.
During the session, the council members explored how the provincial government and the private sector along with other relevant stakeholders could effectively put to use the PPD platform and identify the most efficient ways to find commonalities for an environment conducive for investment.
On the occasion, the P&D board chairman said that the ICRU was an integral part of the P&DD. He further said that the ICRU was a partner from the government, to the businesses.
“A Dialogue between the public and private sector has been a prominent feature for decades in a number of countries and is considered an important means for promoting private sector-led economic development,” he added.
HBL Asset Management Ltd CEO Farid Ahmed Khan was of the opinion that for responsible policy making the government should listen to its constituents. The PPD mechanism in Punjab, he said, was a commendable step towards business-friendly policies.
Similarly, Nestle Pakistan Managing Director & CEO Bruno Olierhoek said, “I hail from the Netherlands where a council similar to the Punjab Public-Private Dialogue Council has made major contributions in helping improve the business environment.”
Participants from the private sector welcomed the ICRU’s initiative and hoped the process would lead to better regulations that would protect investors and their businesses. It was also stressed upon in the session that access to finance, access to skilled labour, women enterprise, access to information and infrastructure were all central to the creation of an enabling business environment and that the government should focus on these areas to improve the investment climate in the province.
Participants from the private sector who were also inducted as the PPD council members included Chairman Nestle Pakistan Syed Yawar Ali, eminent economist Dr Salman Shah, HBL Asset Management Ltd CEO Farid Ahmed Khan, ex-MCB Bank president Atif Bajwa, National Foods CEO Abrar Hassan, Big Bird Group Chairman Abdul Basit, SEFAM Managing Director Seema Aziz, Millat Tractors Chairman Sikander Khan, Honda Atlas CEO Saquib Hussain Shirazi, CresVentures CEO Humayun Mazhar, Systems Ltd CEO & MD Asif Peer, OICCI President and Nestle Pakistan CEO Bruno Olierhoek.
