A delegation from the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) met with a Saudi business delegation led by Prince Mansour bin Mohammed Al Saud to discuss deepening trade and investment ties. The focus: downstream industrial projects, particularly in petrochemicals and value-addition sectors.
KCCI officials emphasized the urgent need for Pakistan to build petrochemical infrastructure, including a naphtha cracker plant, to reduce dependence on imported polymers and feedstocks. Such assets could spark growth across industries like plastics, packaging, textiles, and chemicals.
Saudi investors expressed interest in a broad range of opportunities spanning energy, industrialization, agriculture, textiles, IT, and academia-industry cooperation.
KCCI’s business leaders — including Chairman Zubair Motiwala and Vice Chairmen Anjum Nisar, Jawed Bilwani, and Mian Abrar Ahmed — underscored the need for solid feasibility studies, feedstock security, logistical planning, and regulatory incentives to attract anchor investors to such large-scale projects.
Beyond petrochemicals, the discussion also touched on value-added textile production, agribusiness, food processing, and IT and academic partnerships to nurture skilled workforce and innovation.
Given the capital intensity of naphtha crackers and related infrastructure, industry observers note that the projects will require billions in investment and careful coordination to succeed in Pakistan’s challenging industrial environment.
