The Pakistan Embassy launched an investors’ secretariat in Riyadh to mobilize participation of Pakistani traders and entrepreneurs in the Kingdom’s booming economy.
Demonstrating a positive trend in Pakistan government’s business and commerce policy to export products and services and to mobilize overseas Pakistanis for investments back home, the launch program also highlighted outgoing Pakistani Ambassador Naeem Khan’s initiative to mobilize Pakistani traders and entrepreneurs for bolstering the ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Giving one of his farewell speeches before he takes up his new position in the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Khan asked the newly formed secretariat to come up with research and business plans on potential investments by Pakistanis in the Kingdom's health, education and consumer sectors.
“Pakistanis are the most active community here and their country’s relations with the Kingdom are at their pinnacle,” said Khan. “It is the best of times for Pakistan in its bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia.”
The ambassador urged Pakistani businessmen to come forward to fulfill their social responsibility and help others in need as they have been doing in the past.
Waseem Hyat Bajwa, commercial counselor at the embassy, said on Tuesday: “Corporate Solutions, the local Pakistani-owned firm, will facilitate and provide the right environment for the germination of outgoing envoy’s vision and brainchild.”
Amir Shahzad, who manages Corporate Solutions, said: "The intent is to provide solutions to problems being faced by Pakistani investors here and to those Pakistani businesses who want to do business in the oil-rich Kingdom, which is diversifying its economy into health, education, infrastructure and renewable energy.”
Khalid Mehmood Chaudhury, chairman, Pakistan Investors Forum (PIF), reminded the 100 plus Pakistani entrepreneurs and community leaders present at the investors’ secretariat that they should demonstrate the highest level of professionalism and exhibit best business practices as being followed by others in the Kingdom.
Asghar Chaudhry, PIF president, promised to make the secretariat an incubator of business and investment ideas and models for the benefit of both the Kingdom and Pakistan.
The Pakistani investors in the Kingdom expressed gratitude to have a secretariat sponsored by the embassy and managed by a local firm, which provides corporate services and business solutions.
According to the embassy, about 1.5 million Pakistanis live in the Kingdom and send home an estimated $4 billion every year.
According to a report, the amount is expected to surpass $4.5 billion this fiscal year.
The program was also attended by Pakistani community leaders who congratulated the outgoing envoy, PIF and organizers for establishing the secretariat.
A dozen Pakistani health and pharmaceutical business houses that participated in the Saudi Health 2014 at the Riyadh exhibition center last week garnered some orders, including promises of investments from a couple of Saudis in the Pakistani health and pharmaceutical industry.
Pakistan investors’ secretariat to mobilize traders
Pakistan investors’ secretariat to mobilize traders
Arab food and beverage sector draws $22bn in foreign investment over 2 decades: Dhaman
JEDDAH: Foreign investors committed about $22 billion to the Arab region’s food and beverage sector over the past two decades, backing 516 projects that generated roughly 93,000 jobs, according to a new sectoral report.
In its third food and beverage industry study for 2025, the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corp., known as Dhaman, said the bulk of investment flowed to a handful of markets. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Morocco and Qatar attracted 421 projects — about 82 percent of the total — with capital expenditure exceeding $17 billion, or nearly four-fifths of overall investment.
Projects in those five countries accounted for around 71,000 jobs, representing 76 percent of total employment created by foreign direct investment in the sector over the 2003–2024 period, the report said, according to figures carried by the Kuwait News Agency.
“The US has been the region's top food and beverage investor over the past 22 years with 74 projects or 14 projects of the total, and Capex of approximately $4 billion or 18 percent of the total, creating more than 14,000 jobs,” KUNA reported.
Investment was also concentrated among a small group of multinational players. The sector’s top 10 foreign investors accounted for roughly 15 percent of projects, 32 percent of capital expenditure and 29 percent of newly created jobs.
Swiss food group Nestlé led in project count with 14 initiatives, while Ukrainian agribusiness firm NIBULON topped capital spending and job creation, investing $2 billion and generating around 6,000 jobs.
At the inter-Arab investment level, the report noted that 12 Arab countries invested in 108 projects, accounting for about 21 percent of total FDI projects in the sector over the past 22 years. These initiatives, carried out by 65 companies, involved $6.5 billion in capital expenditure, representing 30 percent of total FDI, and generated nearly 28,000 jobs.
The UAE led inter-Arab investments, accounting for 45 percent of total projects and 58 percent of total capital expenditure, the report added, according to KUNA.
The report also noted that the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar topped the Arab ranking as the most attractive countries for investment in the sector in 2024, followed by Oman, Bahrain, Algeria, Morocco, and Kuwait.
Looking ahead, Dhaman expects consumer demand to continue rising. Food and non-alcoholic beverage sales across 16 Arab countries are projected to increase 8.6 percent to more than $430 billion by the end of 2025, equivalent to 4.2 percent of global sales, before exceeding $560 billion by 2029.
Sales are expected to remain highly concentrated geographically, with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, the UAE and Iraq accounting for about 77 percent of the regional total. By product category, meat and poultry are forecast to lead with sales of about $106 billion, followed by cereals, pasta and baked goods at roughly $63 billion.
Average annual per capita spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages in the region is projected to rise 7.2 percent to more than $1,845 by the end of 2025, approaching the global average, and to reach about $2,255 by 2029. Household spending on these products is expected to represent 25.8 percent of total expenditure in 13 Arab countries, above the global average of 24.2 percent.
Arab external trade in food and beverages grew more than 15 percent in 2024 to $195 billion, with exports rising 18 percent to $56 billion and imports increasing 14 percent to $139 billion. Brazil was the largest foreign supplier to the region, exporting $16.5 billion worth of products, while Saudi Arabia ranked as the top Arab exporter at $6.6 billion.
