IBA-CED organized a seminar on E-Commerce & Entrepreneurship in Pakistan- Opportunities & Challenges

September 28, 2022: Center for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), IBA in collaboration with the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ICCIA), held a seminar on Best of Entrepreneurship in Pakistan on the theme of 'E-Commerce & Entrepreneurship in Pakistan- Opportunities & Challenges'. Around 300 students and faculty members from different universities of Pakistan and freelancing disciplines attended this seminar. The opening session was graced by Ms. Alia Jafar, Director International Relations, ICCIA. Notable guest speakers and entrepreneurs were invited to talk about their startup journey. The speakers included leading Pakistani entrepreneurs, Mr. Sheikh Sultan Rahman Coordinator and former Vice President Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce (FPCCI) and Industry; Mr. Hamza Abdul Rauf, Co-Founder and Director, Telemart; Dr. Sara Saeed Khurram, Co-Founder and CEO, Sehat Kahani; and Mr. Arif Lakhani Co-Founder, Qist Bazaar.

Mr. Rahman stressed the need for entrepreneurs in the economy and the growing e-commerce society in Pakistan.

Mr. Rauf shared his rich experience of his journey of finding a startup during his sophomore year at IBA, to overseeing its development as one of Pakistan's biggest E-commerce startups.

Dr. Khurram shared her inspiring journey as a female entrepreneur, who founded Sehat Kahani in 2017, after years of social work in low-income areas and connecting patients with doctors throughout Pakistan online. Since its inception, Sehat Kahani has catered to 1.3 million patients and the number is expected to rise even more in the following years. Mr. Lakhani then narrated his experience of founding Qist Kahani, a platform that allows people from low-income backgrounds to buy contemporary necessities such as laptops and mobile phones in installments. His venture has already delivered to 11,000 customers in the past eleven months.

Mr. Azad Ahmed, Acting Head, CED, emphasized the need for inclusivity in the entrepreneur ecosystem, announcing IBA CED's Weekend Certificate in Entrepreneurship & Women Entrepreneurship Program. The role of IBA-CED incubation centers in facilitating the startups was highlighted and the session was then followed by an enriching Q&A session.

The session was concluded with a vote of thanks from Mr. Abdul Badih El Dada, Director of Events Management ICCIA, who discussed the vast amount of e-commerce forums, each having its own advantages. He emphasized the benefits of utilizing this market.