ICCIA holds Best of Entrepreneurship Pakistan Session at IBA  

KARACHI - The Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (ICCIA) hosted its “Best of Entrepreneurship Pakistan (BOE)” session at IBA Karachi on Wednesday.

 The event was about eCommerce and Entrepreneurship in Pakistan and was organized to highlight challenges faced by the industry and the opportunities it brings for young entrepreneurs. The BOE event aimed to share entrepreneurial trends and stories that will shape the future of eCommerce in the country.

Ms Aalia Jafar, Director of International Relations, ICCIA, was present at the event. She said, “Today, we are blessed. We live in a world where failure is considered a success. Because we now know true innovation happens when you try new things, when you experiment and when you fail. As the famous saying from Silicon Valley goes: Fail early, fail often, but fail forward!”

Mr Haider Zamin, Deputy Director, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), discussed TDAP’s e-commerce strategy. He shared how TDAP is organizing free B2C training sessions for women entrepreneurs where they can register themselves and begin selling their products on Amazon.

 Mr Hamza Abdul Rauf, Co-founder & Director of Telemart, was also present at the event. He shared his journey with the audience present. His success story includes lending his expertise to companies like Gul Ahmed and Artistic Milliners back when technology wasn’t as prevalent as today. Mr Abdul Rauf talked about how tech cannot fix a broken business. It can only be done through hard work and determination. In the end, Mr Abdul Rauf emphasized the need for proper mentorship and incubation centres for the current generation.

 Dr Sara Saeed Khurram, Co-Founder & CEO of Sehat Kahani, was also one of the prominent guests at the event. She is a doctor turned entrepreneur who didn’t let anything come in the way of her success. She discussed how it wasn’t an easy journey but one that was worth taking. Dr. Saeed Khurram hopes more women are encouraged to become entrepreneurs so they can be independent and change the world for those who will come after them.

 Mr Sultan Rehman, Vice President, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI), was also present at the panel.

Mr Abdul Badih El Dada, Director of Events Management at ICCIA, highlighted the ICCIA's efforts in the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and invited relevant institutions for developing partnerships to promote entrepreneurial culture in Pakistan and beyond.

It was an informative and motivational session with an audience of 300, which included Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVETs) focused on e-commerce, university students, aspiring entrepreneurs, and business enthusiasts.

 Here’s hoping plenty of such programs will be organized in the future so that more people from the younger generation can be encouraged to pursue their entrepreneurial endeavours.