Chamber president invites members to participate in ITC-led UK-Pakistan trade mission

Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) president Nasir Awan is supporting a trade mission to strengthen trade relations between the UK and Pakistan.

GBCC members operating in the agrifood, textiles and apparel (T&A), handicrafts, and home décor sectors are invited to express their interest to participate in the funded trade mission to Pakistan.

The trade mission—funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and organised by the International Trade Centre (ITC)—will visit Karachi, Lahore and Sialkot from 27 February to 3 March 2024.

A key part of the mission will focus on meeting Pakistani businesses, with a focus on women-led businesses that are part of the ITC SheTrades Initiative, which supports Pakistani businesses to access export opportunities in the United Kingdom.

The UK is Pakistan’s largest export destination in Europe and the third globally. 

The trade mission organized by ITC will allow participating UK-based companies to:

• gain an in-depth knowledge of the business environment and specific market requirements to import from Pakistan;
• attend one-to-one business and networking meetings with potential suppliers in Pakistan (Karachi, Lahore and Sialkot); and
• develop direct contacts with potential suppliers in Pakistan and increase the company’s awareness of the full potential business linkages between UK and Pakistan.

GBCC president Nasir Awan (pictured), who was born in Pakistan and has strong business connections there, said: “The UK is one of Pakistan’s top five export markets, so a prosperous UK-Pakistan relationship matters.

“The Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) allows UK importers to bring in 94% of products from Pakistan duty free. I am pleased to lead this mission as president of the GBCC, starting my theme of International which I intend to build on.” 

The deadline to apply to participate in the UK-Pakistan trade mission is Wednesday, 10 January 2024.

GBCC members who are interested in the opportunity are advised to speak to their relationship manager for more information.