Pakistan, Ethiopia move to fast-track drug registration for exports

Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan urged the swift approval of regulatory approvals for Pakistani pharmaceutical firms looking to export to Ethiopia. The call came as Pakistan and Ethiopia discussed broadening their economic ties during a meeting with Ethiopian Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Oumer Hussein Oba. The diplomat urged the minister at his Islamabad office, with officials from the Pakistani Commerce Ministry in attendance.

Jam Kamal highlighted Pakistan's expanding pharmaceutical sector and its desire to boost exports to African nations, stressing that prompt regulatory approval and clear processes were vital to gaining Ethiopian trust and enhancing commercial ties. He stressed the importance of close coordination between regulatory bodies, diplomatic missions, and trade officials to tackle lingering issues and ease market access.

The Ethiopian envoy noted he had raised the pending drug registration concerns with Ethiopian health authorities, who assured him these matters would be resolved quickly. Secretary Commerce Jawad Paul stressed the urgency of sending an Ethiopian technical team to Pakistan for inspections and evaluations of pharmaceutical firms, emphasizing that timely completion of technical assessments and regulatory steps would hasten pending approvals and ease Pakistan's pharmaceutical exports to Ethiopia.

The meeting also touched on Ethiopia's World Trade Organisation accession process, with Jam Kamal emphasizing the need for mutual market access, economic benefits, and confidence-building measures to advance trade cooperation. The ambassador pledged Ethiopia's readiness to address Pakistan's concerns through constructive talks. The minister praised Ethiopia for its rapid infrastructure development and positioned the country as a potential gateway to East African markets for Pakistani businesses, mentioning opportunities in pharmaceuticals, food products, banking, and other sectors, while stressing the importance of better connectivity and more business exchanges.

The two sides also discussed the progress on a proposed visa waiver agreement for diplomatic and official passport holders, with the ambassador expressing optimism about its swift conclusion.