"In 2021, the volume of the bilateral trade amounted to 1.52 billion Euro, with Pakistan exports to France reaching 1.11 Billion Euros and French exports to Pakistan nearly 411 million Euros"

H.E. Nicolas GALEY (French Ambassador to Pakistan)

French Ambassador to Pakistan H.E. Nicolas GALEY highlighted the bilateral relationship between two friendly countries Pakistan and France. 

H.E. Nicolas GALEY (French Ambassador to Pakistan)

French Ambassador to Pakistan H.E. Nicolas GALEY highlighted the bilateral relationship between two friendly countries Pakistan and France. He also highlighted the importance of IMF agreement with Pakistan.

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France provides €180 Million soft loan for the National Transmission & Despatch Company(NTDC) Projects.

France has agreed to provide a soft loan of Euro 180 million to Pakistan. The loan will be utilized by the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) for the construction and upgrading of transmission lines and grid stations in Vehari, Aarifwala, and Sialkot.

The primary objective of the loan is to support the NTDC in improving the transmission and distribution of power in Punjab, particularly in major cities. By enhancing the efficiency and reliability of the power supply, the funding aims to improve affordability and contribute to scaling up the energy supply in the region.

Importantly, these projects align with the Government of Pakistan's commitment to fighting climate change. As most of the power generation in the country comes from hydel sources (presumably referring to hydroelectric power), the transmission of green energy through these projects will help mitigate the impacts of climate change.

This loan from France is part of the country's pledge and commitments announced at the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in Geneva on January 9, 2023. Through the French Development Agency (AFD), France is providing technical and financial support across various sectors in Pakistan, including energy, water and sanitation, urban development, and cultural heritage.

The specific components of the projects include the construction of a new 220kV substation and 50km of new 220kV transmission lines in Aarifwala, which will be connected to the MEPCO grid. In Vehari, the existing 220kV substation will be upgraded to a 500kV level, and 48km of new 500kV transmission lines will be connected to it. This enhanced capacity of the substation will also be linked to the MEPCO grid. Lastly, in Sialkot, a new 500kV substation and 55km of transmission lines will be constructed, connecting it to the GEPCO grid.

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The French Development Agency (AFD) has joined global polio eradication partners with its commitment to filling the funding gap of Pakistan government in its efforts to eradicate polio.

The French Development Agency (AFD) has committed to filling the funding gap of $55 million for the Pakistani government's Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) in its efforts to eradicate polio. The commitment was made during a week-long visit to Pakistan by a delegation from AFD and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, during which they visited the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication and discussed the polio infrastructure's role in responding to COVID-19 and recent floods.

The AFD's support will include immunization activities, disease surveillance, polio campaign monitoring, and other technical areas. The Special Health Secretary of Pakistan praised the government's commitment to eradicating polio and emphasized that investing in polio is an investment in the country's overall health system.

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Pakistan and France have signed a €22 million (more than $22 million) financing agreement to extend technical and financial support for the renovation of Lahore Fort.

According to a statement released by the French Embassy, Heritage and Urban Regeneration in Lahore (HURL) project is part of the Walled City Lahore Master Plan aimed at the renovation and restoration of Lahore Fort, a symbol of the country's rich history.

The focus areas of the project will be to promote tourism, generate economic activities and build climate change resilience for local communities.

Speaking on the occasion, French Ambassador Nicolas Galey said: “France is proud to be part of the ambitious plan of the Punjab government to develop and promote the unique cultural heritage of Lahore."

He furthered that the rehabilitation and development of the Lahore Fort surroundings will be a powerful engine of sustainable economic development of the city by via increased tourist attraction and improved living conditions of the riparian populations.

The financing of the HURL project will span over five years and it is expected to contribute to the restoration and enhancement of the fort, strengthening its resilience.

The project will also generate additional income, and employment, especially for women and the transgender community.

It would also help expand tourism by including the neighbourhoods around the fort (buffer zone) as an interface for growth and building the capacity of the relevant authority and its partners.

Director-General Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) Kamran Lashari also attended the signing ceremony and appreciated the efforts made by the FDA.

The Fort and Walled City of Lahore, located in the heart of a metropolis of 11 million inhabitants, comprise a group of various singular monuments of exceptional historical and cultural value, and dense ancient neighbourhoods.

The listing of the fort as a World Heritage Site in Danger in 1981 by UNESCO highlighted the many threats to its integrity. In 2012, the Government of Punjab, WCLA and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) began a decade-long conservation initiative to restore and develop the site.

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Pakistan and France have signed an agreement for the suspension of loans amounting to $107 million under the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI).

In a press release, the Economic Affairs Division said the amount, initially repayable between July and December 2021, would now be repaid over a period of six years — including a one-year grace period — in semi-annual installments.

The agreement was signed by Ministry of Economic Affairs Secretary Mian Asad Hayaud Din and French Ambassador Nicolas Galey, the statement said.

"The government of Pakistan has already signed agreements with the French Republic for suspension of $261m. Due to the support extended by the development partners of Pakistan, the G20 DSSI has provided the fiscal space which was necessary to deal with the urgent health and economic needs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan," the statement added.

The total amount of debt that has been suspended and rescheduled under the DSSI framework, covering the period from May 2020 to December 2021, stands at $3,688m.

"Pakistan has already concluded and signed 93 agreements with 21 bilateral creditors for the rescheduling of its debts under the G20 DSSI framework, amounting to rescheduling of almost $3,150m. The signing of [the] above-mentioned agreements brings this total to $3,257m," the press release said.

It added that negotiations were ongoing for the remaining agreements to be signed under the DSSI framework.

Earlier this month, Pakistan had signed two debt service suspension agreements with Japan and Switzerland for the suspension of $197.5m in loans.

Of this total amount, $191.60m was owed to Japanese International Cooperation Agency during the period from January to June 2021 and $5.89m to the Government of the Swiss Confederation during the period from July to December 2021.

In March, a similar agreement was signed with the Saudi Fund for Development for the suspension of debt servicing of $846m.

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National Transmission and Despatch Company Limited (NTDC) will procure disc insulator and hardware string worth Euro 10,800,393 for 500kV SECL (Thar Block-I) to Matiari Double Circuit transmission line for evacuation of power from 1320 MW SECL Coal Power Plant.

Lahore (13 Nov 2021)- National Transmission and Despatch Company Limited (NTDC) will procure Disc Insulator & hardware string amounting to Euro 10,800,393 for 500kV SECL (Thar Block-I) to Matiari Double Circuit transmission line for evacuation of power from 1320 MW SECL Coal Power Plant. The Contract Signing Ceremony for procurement of said material was held at a local hotel in Lahore, where Deputy Managing Director NTDC Engr. Muhammad Ayub and reps of M/s. SEDIVER SAS, France signed the contract. The ceremony was attended by the high ranked officers on both sides and French experts. Deputy Managing Director Mr. Muhammad Ayub chaired the occasion alongwith Deputy Managing Director Mr. Safdar Ali. A large number of General Managers, Chief Engineers and young Engineers were present on the occasion. While addressing the ceremony, DMD Engr. Muhmmad Ayub expressed that quality of hardware and insulators is one of the critical factor in tripping of transmission lines. NTDC is making efforts to improve its design and specifications besides enhancing cooperation with leading manufacturers and industry experts to meet modern day challenges. M/s. SEDIVER SAS, France is one of the renowned overhead insulators manufacturer in the World. The Leading Industry experts from the France also delivered a technical presentation followed by question answer session.

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The French government is providing a soft loan of Rs12.3 billion (65 million euros) for the bus rapid transit (BRT) Red Line project in Karachi.

Ambassador of France in Pakistan Marc Barety and country director of the French Agency for Development (AFD) signed the credit financing agreement with Secretary for Economic Affairs Division Noor Ahmed in Islamabad to co-finance with the Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Green Climate Fund.

The Red Line is proposed to connect with the Green Line, currently under construction, at the Numaish station for a seamless and connected operation. The Red Line services will then continue on the shared common corridor from the Numaish station till Merewether Tower.

The soft loan of Rs12.3bn for the project shows that the substantial financial effort made by the development agencies is aimed for a higher impact on people's livelihoods. It will be one of the very first collaborative operations for AIIB and GCF in Pakistan on urban development, a French embassy press release states.

Affordable low-carbon healthcare in Pakistan

In Karachi, Pakistan, AFD is supporting the Aga Khan University Hospital expand its campus and increase hospital capacity, in addition to making quality healthcare more accessible to disadvantaged patients. AFD’s contribution to this project will significantly reduce the hospital’s environment impact by avoiding 26,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent every year.

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Pakistan welcomes French investment, technology in agriculture sector: Fakhar Imam

PARIS, OCT 9 – Pakistan has huge potential in the field of agriculture and agri-products and the country welcomed French investment, technology and expertise, in a mutually beneficial way.
This was stated by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Fakhar Imam in a webinar on the agriculture sector of Pakistan in which 25 French companies participated.

The webinar was organized by the largest business federation of France, MEDEF in cooperation with the Embassy of Pakistan, Paris.

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AFD loans $20mln for COVID emergency

Planning Commission approved the COVID-19 health emergency response project for which the financing was provided by the AFD (Agency Francaise de Development). The project was approved at a cost of USD 20 Million.

The AFD funds for the health project will be utilized for effective, and efficient COVID19 case management, up gradation of existing health facilities or setting up new facilities where needed, and strengthening capacity of the health workforce. The funds will also be used for strengthening of the health management systems i.e. inventory control, disease surveillance, standard protocols, etc, as well as provision of equipment to meet the national requirements.

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France and Pakistan sign €0.5 million grant agreement for capacity building of Private Power & Infrastructure Board (PPIB)

Islamabad: 11 February 2020: In order to diversify the energy-mix of country, the Government of Pakistan (GoP) is encouraging development of hydro potential to produce clean, green and affordable electricity. These efforts further supplemented by signing two Agreements today between the Government of Pakistan, the Agence Française De Développement (AFD), France and the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB). The Financing Agreement was signed between Economic Affairs Division (EAD) and AFD while the Project Agreement signed between Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) and AFD. From EAD side Dr. Syed Pervaiz Abbas, Secretary while from PPIB Mr. Shah Jahan Mirza Managing Director signed the documents respectively while from AFD, Mr. Philippe Steinmetz, Director AFD Pakistan signed both Financing and Project Agreements. The signings were witnessed by high officials of EAD, PPIB and AFD. The Honorable Ambassador of France to Pakistan His Excellency Mr. Marc Baréty witnessed the ceremony and co-signed the Financing Agreement..

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FRANCE PROVIDES EURO 94.010 MILLION (11.7 BILLION PKR) SOFT LOAN EXTENSION OF WATER RESOURCES PHASE-II PROJECT, FAISALABAD

AFD will provide a soft loan for the project for a period of 20 years including a grace period of 6 years at interest rate of 6-month Euribor with a spread of 52 basis points. Groundwater quality of Faisalabad city is brackish. The proposed project will augment Faisalabad Water and Sanitation agency capacity to provide 30 MGD of additional clean drinking water to citizens of Faisalabad through surface water treatment plant. France through the French Agency for Development is providing technical and financial support in energy and urban development sector in Pakistan. This project is AFD’s first investment in water and sanitation sector opening avenues for more collaboration with government of Pakistan.

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REHABILITATION OF CHITRAL, DARGAI HYDEL POWER STATIONS: FRANCE PROVIDES 50 MILLION EUROS SOFT LOAN, 0.2 MILLION EURO GRANT

Mr. Noor Ahmed, Secretary of Economic Affairs Division (EAD), H.E. Marc Barety, Ambassador of France, and Mr. Jacky Amprou, Country Director of the French Agency for Development (AFD), signed the Credit Facility Agreement worth Euros 50 million and the Grant Agreement worth 0.2 million Euros to finance the Rehabilitation of Chitral and Dargai Hydel Power Stations. Mr. Muhammad Arshad Chaudhry, Member (Power) WAPDA and other officers were also present on the occasion.

This funding will allow the modernization of the two hydel power stations and upgrading of their generation capacity from 20 MW to 22 MW for Dargai Hydel Power Station and from 1 MW to 5 MW for Chitral Hydel Power Station. This will provide adequate facilities for the generation, transmission, and distribution of energy to meet current and future needs of Chitral and Malakand regions. This will also result in industrial, agricultural and economic development of these regions. Besides, rehabilitation and up-gradation of the said hydel power stations will contribute to the Government of Pakistan’s strategy to develop green energy, reduce green house gasses emission which is very much aligned with French Government’s agenda of promoting climate friendly projects.

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EXTENSION OF THE AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN KARACHI

The Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi is Pakistan's most renowned health facility and plays a decisive social role in improving and providing access to health care. This project will finance the University Hospital extension project's environmental and social infrastructure.

The university hospital expansion programme requires US $ 16 million for investments in infrastructure and equipment related to energy efficiency, securing power supply and the incineration of biomedical waste, to which AFD funding will be allocated.

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Pakistan, France sign MoU to promote bilateral trade on July 18, 2019.

Business France and Board of Investment (BOI) of Pakistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and business between Pakistan and France.

The agreement was signed by the Ambassador of Pakistan to France Moinul Haque on behalf of Board of Investment (BOI) of Pakistan and Christophe Lecourtier, Chief Executive Officer of Business France in a special signing ceremony held at the headquarter of Business France in Paris.

The signing of MoU was witnessed by the French government officials, officers of the Business France and Embassy of Pakistan, members of French civil society and media.

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Visit of a delegation of the French Senate – from 24th to 27th April 2019

Pascal Allizard, Senator of Calvados, President of the France-Pakistan Friendship Group and Vice-President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces, accompanied by his colleagues from the friendship group, Mrs. Gisèle Jourda, Senator of Aude, also a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Mrs. Chantal Deseyne, Senator of Eure-et-Loire, paid a visit to Pakistan from April 24th to 27th, 2019. The delegation travelled successively to Islamabad, Karachi and Gwadar.

During their stay in Islamabad, the senators met high level Pakistani authorities : Chairman Senate, Mr. Sadiq Sanjrani, Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Asad Qaiser, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sohail Mahmood, the President of the Pakistan-France Friendship Group, Senator Faisal Javed together with its members, the Chairman of the Defense Production Committee, Senator Abdul Qayyum. These talks were an opportunity for both the Pakistani authorities and the French delegation to highlight the dynamism of France-Pakistan inter-parliamentary relations and to call for bilateral exchanges to develop.

H.E. Marc Barety (French Ambassador to Pakistan)

French Ambassador to Pakistan H.E. Marc Barety says French companies will be visiting Pakistan soon to explore ways and means to invest in different sectors.

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PM, French delegation discuss investment opportunities in Pakistan, April 08, 2019

A delegation of French businessmen called on Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on Monday and discussed investment and business opportunities in Pakistan.

The delegation evinced keen interest in investing in various sectors including manufacturing sector, agriculture, and energy.

The Prime Minister welcomed the interest of delegation and highlighted Pakistan's investment potential and business friendly policies.

He highlighted the potential of agriculture, tourism, industry, and Special Economic Zones.

Imran Khan emphasized on the steps taken to reduce cost of doing businesses and improving ease of doing business in the country.

MEDEF is the largest association of French entrepreneurs having 750,000 members.

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