“More than 5,000 Pakistanis live in Ivory Coast, and the people of our country love the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, immensely,” Ivory Coast Honorary Consul General Fazal Karim Dadabhai said on Saturday, when he called on Karachi Administrator Dr Syed Saifur Rahman.
Ivory Coast is located on the southern coast of West Africa that is famous for its attractive coastal locations. The country’s economic centre is Abidjan, which is the sixth most populous and industrialised city in Africa.
Rahman said that there are vast opportunities for trade between Pakistan and Ivory Coast that should be expanded. He said that relations of love and brotherhood should be established between the people of both countries.
Dadabhai said that according to the 2021 census of Ivory Coast, which had gained independence from France in 1960, 42.5 per cent of the population is Muslim, while Christianity is the second major religion there.
He said that the speaker of the assembly of Ivory Coast would come to Pakistan on February 9 this year, and would also visit Karachi.
Rahman informed Dadabhai about the steps being taken for the development and improvement of Karachi’s infrastructure. He said Karachi is the largest city, and industrial and commercial centre of Pakistan, with an international airport and two major commercial ports, through which imports and exports are made.
He also said that central offices of banks and commercial institutions are located in Karachi. “Based on its geographical location, Karachi has a special importance in the region. It’s considered an important commercial centre. It has several industrial zones where production activities continue throughout the year.”
The administrator said the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation is striving to develop the residential and industrial areas of the city by improving the basic urban infrastructure, including roads, footpaths, bridges, underpasses and flyovers.
He said Pakistan’s Export Trade Promotion Agency is taking several steps to increase bilateral trade with African countries. He added that it is expected that there will be an increase in mutual trade between Pakistan and Ivory Coast in the future.
He also said that the two countries would get an opportunity to come closer to each other. The Karachi administrator on this occasion presented a commemorative shield to the Ivory Coast honorary consul general.