February 28, 2008	Thursday	Safar 20 ,1429

PESHAWAR, Feb 27: NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani on Wednesday directed the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) to develop a workable plan to create a multi-purpose trade and business zone in a strategically located area along the G.T. Road in the provincial metropolis, said a handout.

He was chairing a presentation on the activities and performance of Smeda in NWFP and Fata. He further said that the dry port in Peshawar was also being shifted to Azakhel and the Smeda should prepare a plan for setting up a multi-purpose facility at the vacated site in order to boost trade and business activities.Smeda provincial chief Javed Khattak in his presentation said that the authority had been working in the province for SME development since 1998 and had facilitated 2,900 SMEs, trained 6,250 person and facilitated investment up to Rs570 million.

Interventions had been mainly made in the marble and granite, gems and jewellery, furniture, horticulture, dairy and livestock, light engineering and mineral sectors. A number of clusters in the textile, leather, honey and carpet weaving had also been developed in different parts of the province.

As regard Fata initiatives, it was told that Smeda had closely worked with Fata Secretariat in formulation the sustainable development plan for Fata and was also providing support to Fata Development Authority in a number of its projects including youth skill development programme and field internship programme.