In order to expand mutual peace, prosperity and overcome barriers to trade Hollings Center for International Dialogue grantees from Pakistan and Afghanistan launched an Afghanistan-Pakistan Trade Portal (APTP). The Project aimed at supporting and growing bilateral trade and economic links and between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The trade portal web site can be found at: https://afpaktradeportal.org.
The Trade Portal was designed to serve as an online business development and facilitation platform to build partnerships and encourage joint ventures, providing updated links to information on regulatory frameworks, licensing issues and investment opportunities in both countries. The Trade Portal will serve as a modest but practical attempt at expanding Pak-Afghan bilateral trade relations as well as a means of linking and encouraging a new generation of urban-based Afghan and Pakistani businessmen to jointly explore business and investment opportunities in each other’s countries. It will also serve as an advocacy and communication platform for promoting trade, business-to-business and people to people links between the two countries.
To announce the foundation and launch of the of the APTP, an event was held in Islamabad, Pakistan on November 7, 2019 to bring together key governmental and business stakeholders in support of the project. The event was well attended and has helped to create business momentum. To date, the portal has already generated over 300 business registrants.
