NBR Volume-5  Issue-1 2023

PAKISTAN’S BUSINESS COMMUNITY TRADE FACILITATION WITH AFRICA: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF KENYA AND SOUTH AFRICA

Tariq Khan
Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD), UNISA, South Africa

Corresponding Email: [email protected]

ABSTRACT 

Purpose: Exploring the role of business companies in facilitating trade between Pakistan and Africa, this paper focuses in particular on Kenya and South Africa . It examines the impact of these companies on bilateral trade relations, lessons learned from the trade facilitation experiences of Pakistan’s business community in Kenya and South Africa, and their implications for future trade partnerships.
Design/Methodology: The study utilizes qualitative and quantitative content analysis approach and a comparative analysis method to compare and contrast the role of business companies in trade facilitation between Pakistan, Kenya and South Africa, particularly after the launch of Pakistan’s Look Africa policy in 2017 and thereafter Engage Africa Initiative in 2019.
Findings: The key trade facilitation initiatives by Pakistan’s business community in Kenya and South Africa have certainly impacted bilateral trade relations, leading to increased trade volumes and export diversification. Major challenges including trade barriers and logistics issues have been addressed through strategic measures and collaboration. The trade facilitation experiences provide significant lessons for future partnerships, emphasizing sector-specific promotion as well as stakeholder engagement.
Originality: There is limited research on trade relations between Pakistan and African countries. Thus this paper contributes a unique perspective by exploring the trade facilitation initiatives, challenges, and lessons learned from the viewpoint of Pakistan’s business community. Furthermore, the incorporation of network theory as a conceptual framework contributes to the originality of this research.

Keywords:  Pakistan-Africa trade, Trade facilitation, Business community
Paper type: Research Paper

Received: 10 June 2023
Revised: 21 June 2023
Accepted: 27 June 2023
Published: 13 July 2023

Full-Length Paper: PDF

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37435/NBR23061001

This is an open-access article under the CC BY 4.0 license