PESHAWAR: Special Assistant to Prime Minister Senator Aon Abbas has said that federal government has approved e-commerce policy and finalised its plan to inaugurate first-ever virtual e-commerce university to promote online business in the country.

He was addressing a seminar on e-commerce organised by Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) in collaboration with Ministry of Commerce and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) here on Wednesday.

He said that e-commerce would increase export and strengthen digital economy as well as become prime source of employment for youth in the country. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan would inaugurate an e-commerce web-portal in February next month.

Senator Aon Abbas says country’s first e-commerce varsity to be set up soon

Senator Aon Abbas said that first-ever e-commerce virtual university would be set up in the country in July 2022.

He said that domestic e-commerce remained at $4 billion while Rs60 billion cross-border digital trade was carried out during 2021. Globally, he said, e-commerce had reached approximately up to $340 billion.

He said that currently 1.1 million to 1.2 million freelancers were working in the country while their share in foreign remittances was about $1.5 billion.

The senator said that efforts were afoot to bring improvement in postal system, value-chain, trace and tracking as well as banking system.

He said that simple, speedy and accredited system was essential for promotion of e-commerce.

He said that about $20 trillion e-commerce or e-businesses was being carried out across the world and share of China in it was $4 trillion to $5 trillion.

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan wanted to introduce such a system that would ensure transportation of shipments or products by sitting at home.

The PM aide said that Pakistan stood third in e-businesses while India was first and Bangladesh was second. He said that promotion of e-commerce and digital economy was the prime target of prime minister. He said that special training programmes would be conducted for youth to contribute to economy through using digital methods.

Earlier, SCCI senior vice-president Imran Khan stressed the need for promoting e-commerce, saying youth had been blessed with matchless skills but their capabilities were not utilised properly.

The SCCI office-bearers hoped that the awareness seminar would help to enlighten the business community, especially startups about using the latest methods and tools for promotion of their businesses.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2022