FAISALABAD: Engineer Ahmed Hasan, vice president, Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI), Monday said that innovation and entrepreneurship were prerequisite to generate much-needed economic activity in the country.
He was addressing the inaugural session of a workshop on 'Innovation and Entrepreneurship', jointly organised by the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) and the Institute of Engineers Pakistan (IEP), here.
He said that Pakistan was a country of more than 190 million people, making it 6th largest country in the world by population.
Out of it, more than 30% individuals fall within the prime productive age of 18-30 years.
"With rapidly increasing young population and already high unemployment rates, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the government as well as policymakers to provide them jobs in the prevailing circumstances."
"In this situation, innovation and entrepreneurship is the only available solution through which we could convert our youth into a productive and valuable economic asset," Engineer Ahmed Hassan added.
However, he regretted that most of the educational institutions were producing a lot of degree-holders and job-seekers who had become a burden on our already squeezing resources.
Appreciating the efforts of University of Agriculture in this regard, he said that it had been encouraging entrepreneurship among in its students and the FCCI was also promoting industry-academia linkages in order to harnessing the entrepreneur skills of the youth at all levels.
He also lauded the efforts of the Distinguished Innovations, Collaboration and Entrepreneurship (DICE) Foundation and its working style.
He said that the FCCI was also working actively for promoting entrepreneurship culture in Faisalabad and the chamber has a permanent representative of SMEDA in FCCI to provide guidance and advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.
"I have also decided to set up a young entrepreneurs committee at the FCCI for providing a common platform to discuss issues of common interest," he added.
This session was also addressed by Dr Habib Aslam Gaba, chairman, FCCI Standing Committee on Industry-Academia Linkages, and Zulfiqar Ahmed, Social Entrepreneurship, University of London.
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