ISLAMABAD: The government needs to follow a reform agenda and adopt solid macro-economic policies to put the national economy on strong footing, Deputy USAID Administrator Isobel Coleman said at the end of her visit to Pakistan.

The United States wants stable and prosperous Pakistan and USAID would help the government in improving its economy. USAID has been investing in Pakistan’s economy for many years, but no amount of USAID funds is going to deliver that; it is the reform agenda that should come from the government, she said while speaking to newsmen in Islamabad.

USAID is well aware of the hyper-inflation and foreign exchange constraints and other factors affecting the Pakistan’s economy, Ms Isobel Coleman said.

The high levels of inflation are very regressive, they hurt the poor the hardest. This is the real concern as people who had nothing and their food cost has gone up by 100 per cent. “It is putting the burden of economic chaos on the people,” she said.

The USAID official said the economic picture of Pakistan today is causing anxiety but “my take-away from the visit in the current role as deputy administrator is that there is tremendous potential in the country. Technology sector is growing very quickly and it has enormous export potential,” she said.

“When I look at the Pakistan’s economy, I see high inflation and other constraints but I also see tremendous opportunities through increased exports, enhanced food security and enhanced climate resilience.” The

government, civil society and the private sector with whom USAID works require concerted efforts to put the economy on stronger footing,” she said.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2023