A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony was held in the Prime Minister's Office. Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry and and Deputy Secretary on Youth Affairs Dr. Ali Malik signed the MOU to promote youth entrepreneurship in Pakistan.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs, Ms. Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Senior Vice President ICCI, Faad Waheed, Khalid Iqbal Malik, Zafar Bakhtawari, Ch. Javed Iqbal, Sheikh Muhammad Ijaz, Maqsood Tabish, Raja Imtiaz, Khalid Chaudhry, Saif ur Rehman Khan, Muhammad Waqas Khan and others were also present at the ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that this partnership is essential for fostering a culture of entrepreneurship in youth and promoting economic growth in the country.

He said that through this MOU, the two organisations can work together to identify and support talented young individuals with innovative ideas, offering them training, mentorship, access to resources and funding to turn their ideas into successful businesses. He said that by nurturing the young businessmen and women and providing them with the tools they need to succeed, ICCI and PM’s Youth Programme can help to create jobs, drive innovation, and boost economic development in the country.

Faad Waheed, Senior Vice President ICCI said that youth is over 60 percent of our population and every year, thousands of youngsters are coming out of universities. He said that it is not possible for the government to provide jobs to all youngsters and the best way to engage them in productive activities is to foster a culture of entrepreneurship in them. He hoped that MoU between ICCI and PM’s Youth Program would produce beneficial outcomes for youth.