MCR HRD rolls out course on foreign trade, investment for Egyptian team

Hyderabad: The Dr MCR HRD Institute has rolled out a ‘capacity development course on foreign trade and investment for commercial diplomats from Egypt’.

The course, which commenced on August 12, is sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme. Director-General of the institute, Dr Shashank Goel, chief guest at the inaugural, said international trade enables countries across the globe to access larger markets beyond their domestic borders, increase demand for their goods and services to attain a higher level of production, and consequently, higher economic growth and prosperity for their people. “Similarly, foreign investment brings in capital from outside, which can be used to finance new projects, access the latest technologies, expand businesses, and improve infrastructure, resulting in new job opportunities, both directly and indirectly, and a rise in income levels,” he said. Goel said the course provides practical insights by senior-most experts from the government, academia, and industries in the identification of products and services for exports, with a focus on four specific industries: pharma, food processing, automobiles, and IT.

“The course will also cover the procedures for exports and imports, the role of e-commerce in promoting and facilitating cross-border trade, and also develop negotiation skills of the diplomats in dealing with foreign partners,” he said.

The course, in addition to classroom lectures, provides for field visits to several industrial parks, special economic zones, and manufacturing hubs to enable the diplomats to appreciate the initiatives in promoting international trade and investment in India. In addition, multiple visits will be arranged to places of historical importance to enable them to understand the rich culture and heritage of India, he added.

He said the course would be greatly instrumental in equipping the Egyptian commercial diplomats with tools to promote trade, attract foreign investment, and also empower them to contribute to policy formulation in enhancing Egypt’s trade and investment relations on a global scale.

Dr Goel released the course manual. Dr Madhavi Ravulapati, course director and head of CLP and CIS, stated that the institute has been empanelled by the Ministry of External Affairs. As a part of it, the institute organised training programmes for South Africa, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka recently.

“A number of training programmes for a global audience are also in the pipeline,” she added.