Pakistan envoy woos investors to Lango as community donates 347 units of blood

What the report says

Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Uganda, Ashar Shahzad, used Independence Day celebrations in Lira City to signal support for deeper business ties with northern Uganda. According to Nile Post, he said he would share information about Lango’s investment prospects with Pakistani businessmen and industrialists, pointing to the sub-region’s business climate and development potential.

The event was organised alongside a blood donation drive by the Pakistan Association Lira, which said it collected 347 units of blood. The association’s president, Muhammad Ateeq Nawaz, said the Pakistani community’s activities in Lango extend beyond business and include support for health, education, clean water and other humanitarian efforts. He also said Pakistani investors have set up more than 25 factories in the sub-region and have contributed to local employment.

Local business leaders used the occasion to press for more industrial investment, especially in manufacturing and agricultural value addition. Fred Doi of the Lira Chamber of Commerce and Industry pointed to textiles, garments, oilseed and cassava processing as areas with room for growth, noting that the region produces cotton but lacks enough local processing capacity. Lira City Resident City Commissioner Lawrence Egole welcomed the envoy’s visit as a sign of stronger Uganda-Pakistan relations and praised the Pakistani community’s role in local development.