British High Commissioner Jane Marriott for continuing cooperation to promote entrepreneurial culture in Pakistan

Celina Ali

Islamabad: British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriot on Sunday said that the United Kingdom (UK) will always continue its full cooperation with Pakistan to promote entrepreneurial culture and skills and instill entrepreneurial spirit in youth of the country.

Pakistani youth have entrepreneurial skills and potential and the British High Commission in Islamabad will continue its due support to develop this potential and such programs will be continued in the future to enhance their business skills, the British High Commissioner said.

She said that today, young students from five different schools and education institutions belonging to all the provinces of the country including Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Baluchistan and Islamabad Capital presented their business models and business-related ideas, which reflect their excellent entrepreneurial skills and business capabilities and such talented youth in Pakistan are testifying to the bright future of the country.

The British High Commissioner said that in an annual inter-school business competition held here today in British High Commission Islamabad, students from different education institutions demonstrated their full potential and in this, especially girl students expressed their talents in the best way.

The envoy said that the British High Commission Islamabad has already started various programs to promote girls’ education and entrepreneurship in Pakistan and more programs are being planned in this regard in the future.

She said that the private sector, especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), play a very important role in any economy and such programs will improve the national economy by promoting SMEs in Pakistan.

In today’s modern world, start-ups, innovation, and entrepreneurial skills are the backbone of any emerging economy and especially to increase the role of youth in the future economy, these skills must be taught to them, she said.

The High Commissioner said that there is a lot of potential in economic and trade relations between the United Kingdom and Pakistan and there are vast opportunities for promoting future bilateral trade on both sides.

She said that at present, the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries is 4.4 billion pounds, which is much less than its potential and it needs to be enhanced in the future.

The British envoy said that the United Kingdom has historical social, economic and cultural relations with Pakistan, which are growing day by day.

At present, 1.6 million Pakistanis are present as the Pakistan diaspora in the UK, which plays the significant role of a cultural bridge between the two countries and is also our cultural heritage.

Enterprise Challenge Pakistan (Enterprise Challenge Pakistan) is an annual inter-school business competition, a joint initiative from Prince’s Trust International and SEED Ventures. Now in its eighth year, the programme enables school students to learn practical business skills through coaching, mentoring and an online business simulation game. Enterprise Challenge Pakistan received a mention in Forbes as one of the “Five Leading Programs Supporting the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs”.

The event will host 100 guests from a diverse range of sectors. The event commences at 3:00 p.m. and will conclude at 6:00 p.m with the speech from the High commissioner and the winner.

In annual Inter-School business competition was hosted by the British High Commissioner team “Eco-EduTech from Daharki” won the eighth cycle of Enterprise Challenge Pakistan.

The King’s Trust International delivers interventions in 20 countries, providing opportunities for young people to develop the skills and confidence to learn, earn and thrive.