PESHAWAR – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Thursday underscored the need to promote small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to strengthen the economy and create employment opportunities for young people in the province.
He made the remarks during a meeting with Rashid Aman, regional head of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) in Peshawar, at the Governor House.
Mr Aman briefed the governor on SMEDA’s performance and ongoing initiatives in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying the authority was implementing programmes to support SMEs, encourage youth entrepreneurship and stimulate industrial growth.
He said SMEDA was providing entrepreneurs with guidance on business establishment, feasibility studies, technical consultancy and access to finance, while also organising training programmes and workshops to promote small businesses across various sectors.
Mr Kundi appreciated SMEDA’s role, noting that the SME sector played a key part in strengthening the national economy and generating employment.
He stressed the need for greater coordination among relevant institutions to expand business activity in the province, particularly in the merged districts, and to create more opportunities for investment.
The governor also emphasised the importance of encouraging young entrepreneurs, especially women, and called for increased efforts to promote women’s economic empowerment.
Separately, Collector Customs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ayesha Bashir Wani called on the governor and briefed him on the department’s performance in the province.
Ms Wani said action against narcotics and other smuggled goods had intensified and the department’s performance had nearly doubled compared with last year.
She said the department had been provided with additional resources on the directives of the prime minister, while law enforcement agencies were extending full cooperation. She added that computerisation of departmental systems had improved monitoring and operational efficiency.
Mr Kundi commended the Customs department’s efforts and said stronger and better organised action was required to curb smuggling.
He described smuggling as a serious threat to the national economy and pledged full support to enhance coordination among relevant institutions to combat the problem effectively.
