GUJRANWALA: In a significant step to promote local industry on the global stage, the Gujranwala Business Centre (GBC) has dispatched the first shipment of ‘Made in Gujranwala’ products to South Sudan and Uganda, marking the launch of Pakistan’s first-ever international export display centres.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman GBC Ahmad Ikram Lone called it a “historic day for the business community of Gujranwala” as the inaugural shipment heads to South Sudan, where the Pakistan Products House, the country’s first export display centre, is being established in the capital city, Juba.
The initiative, developed over the past year, is a joint collaboration between the Gujranwala Business Centre and Shahid Sajjad, Pakistan’s Honorary Consul in South Sudan. Under the project, products from Pakistan, especially Gujranwala, will be showcased free of cost throughout the year at the Juba centre, offering exporters a valuable opportunity to penetrate African markets.
Initially, products from25 companies representing 20 industrial sectors of Gujranwala are being showcased. These include home appliances, pipes and fitings, building hardware, cookware, sanitary ware and fittings, nylon ropes, cutlery, textiles, kitchen appliances, gas cylinders, pumps and motors, carpets, pink salt, sports goods, hotelware, rice, kitchen sinks and beauty products
Following a successful response in the first phase, the second phase will incorporate companies from across Pakistan.
Chairman Lone also announced that similar to South Sudan, the foundation of another Pakistan Products House is being laid in Uganda, with the construction of the display centre already underway. The Uganda centre is expected to be completed within four months, making it the second such facility in Africa.
A trade delegation from the Gujranwala Business Centre will soon visit South Sudan and Uganda to formally inaugurate the centres and engage with local business communities, with the aim of fostering trilateral economic cooperation.
Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2025
