Cairo (TDI): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif emphasized on Thursday that investing in youth and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is crucial for building robust economies, as both serve as key drivers of economic development.
He said that investing in youth, and supporting SMEs, was crucial for Pakistan’s socio-economic development, and progress.
“With over 60 percent of our population under the age of 30, we possess, fountain of potential, for growth and innovation,” he stated while addressing the D-8 Summit in Cairo.
The prime minister said that unlocking this potential needed provision of the right skills, financial resources and opportunities.
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Likewise, he said through the flagship Youth Programme, Pakistan’s government was committed to providing quality education, creating jobs, and offering productive opportunities.
Since 2013, he said this programme under the leadership of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had distributed more than 6,00,000 laptops to high achievers, awarded hundreds and thousands of scholarships, and trained a huge number of individuals in demand-driven skills such as artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security and data analytics.
Pakistan Home to One of Largest Freelance Communities
He said that Pakistan is home to one of the largest freelance communities globally. We are focusing on IT trainings at a mass scale to equip our youth with the required tools to connect with the digital world and exploit those opportunities with the aim to enable jobs-seekers become job-creators.
He also highlighted the government’s Youth Business and Agriculture, Loan Scheme under which billions in loans had been disbursed, enabling young individuals to start and build their own businesses.
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“Moreover, our initiatives, such as the National Innovation Award and Start-up Pakistan aim to foster, recognize, and, promote an advanced start-up ecosystem, providing mentorship, and funding incubation opportunities for tech-driven and innovative ideas,” he added.
Reflecting on Summit’s theme, “Investing in Youth and Supporting Small and Medium Enterprises,” he emphasized its relevance in building resilient economies and creating opportunities for sustainable development across member countries.
