ISLAMABAD: The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) will participate in over 120 international exhibitions to boost exports and foreign investment as part of its business plan this fiscal year, the Pakistani commerce ministry said on Monday, with a major focus on Gulf states.
Pakistan has been actively participating in international exhibitions to attract customers by showcasing products and services from its growing sectors like information technology (IT), health care, food and engineering. The country recently participated in the Arab Health, Gulfood and AI Everything exhibitions, highlighting its ambition to promote “Made-in-Pakistan” products, forge business-to-business (B2B) partnerships, and tap into new trade opportunities.
Gulf states present a key export opportunity for Pakistani businesses, given their strong consumer demand and large expatriate workforce, and Pakistani companies last year secured millions of dollars in joint ventures, investments and business collaborations during their participation in exhibitions across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Abdullah Ghauri, a section officer to the TDAP secretary, said that participants of a meeting of the TDAP board, presided over by Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, on Monday placed a special focus on ensuring Pakistan’s participation in all key trade events across the Gulf countries.
“We participated in 23 exhibitions and expos last year, majority of them in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar,” he told Arab News.
“Out of a target of 120 exhibitions, the participation in last year’s 23 major events across the Gulf states remains a key priority, subject to possible adjustments depending on the circumstances.”
Monday’s TDAP board meeting gave approvals for various strategic initiatives to enhance the country’s export competitiveness and trade facilitation in the financial year 2025–26 which began on July 1, according to the commerce ministry.
The annual business plan included Pakistan’s participation in over 120 exhibitions, along with “Made-in-Pakistan” exhibitions in Ethiopia, Bangladesh and other countries.
Ghauri said this year’s calendar would be published within a week with exact details of the events, adding that information technology (IT), agri-based products, hospitality and services, and infrastructure development would be among major areas of focus.
Pakistan’s IT sector is a priority area for the government to boost export revenues and stabilizing external accounts and Islamabad expects it to reach $4 billion this fiscal year under the “Uraan Pakistan” initiative, which aims to raise IT exports to $10 billion by 2029.
The TDAP board endorsed measures to promote greater participation of women entrepreneurs in international trade exhibitions, according to the commerce ministry.
“The Minister for Commerce stressed the importance of shifting Pakistan’s export focus toward emerging international markets instead of relying solely on traditional destinations,” the ministry said, adding that this approach would help diversify export avenues and reduce dependency on limited regions.
The commerce minister also called for the induction of dedicated researchers within TDAP to conduct sector-specific studies and provide data-driven insights to strengthen the authority’s planning and policy support capabilities.
