ISLAMABAD - Sudan is endowed with abundant natural resources and offers good investment opportunities, therefore, Pakistani businessmen should explore Sudan for making direct investment and joint ventures to earn attractive returns. 
This was stated by Alshafie Ahmad bin Mohamed, Ambassador of Sudan while exchanging views with business community at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce &Industry (ICCI). He said he has come to ICCI especially to congratulate Zafar Bakhtawari for assuming the Presidency of ICCI.
He said Pakistan and Sudan are situated at strategic locations as Pakistan is a gateway for South & Central Asia and Middle East while Sudan is a gateway for huge market of Africa. Thus both countries could reap beneficial results by strengthening their bilateral trade and economic relations. He said ICCI should arrange a delegation to visit Sudan and meet the Sudanese counterparts for exploring new areas of mutual cooperation.
The Ambassador said that Pakistan is a brotherly Islamic country who always supported Sudan on all issues. He said both countries have many similarities which should be exploited to create bilateral business and investment opportunities.
He said that by enhancing direct contacts between private sectors of both countries and facilitating them in their efforts, Pakistan and Sudan have the potential to take bilateral trade up to $700 million with in a period of 2 years. He said that ICCI and Embassy of Sudan in Pakistan should act as bridge for connecting the business communities of both countries.
He identified infrastructure development, pharmaceuticals, textile, oil and gas and agriculture as potential areas of cooperation between the two countries. He assured that Sudanese Embassy would always extend cooperation to Pakistani businessmen for improving trade and exports between the two countries.
In his welcome address, Zafar Bakhtawari, said that economy is the key for stability of a country and a strong force to keep a country united. Therefore, Pakistan and Sudan must focus on strengthening their economies. He said both countries are facing almost similar problems and they can better face the current challenges by promoting bilateral cooperation in multiple fields.
He said that the import and export profiles of the two countries indicate that there is a lot of scope to increase bilateral trade as Pakistan is a major exporter of finest quality of rice, fruits and vegetables, textile manufactures, leather products and sports goods which have good potential in Sudan and other African countries.
Bakhtawari said that both countries should establish direct air links which would help in improving trade and commerce between Pakistan and Sudan. He also briefed the Sudanese Ambassador about investment opportunities in different sectors of Pakistan’s economy and invited Sudanese investors to explore Pakistan for investment.