ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif gave the go-ahead to submit a detailed plan aimed at increasing IT exports. He declared that the government would take action to guarantee that young people have access to the resources they need for education, skill development, and startup ventures, as well as to fully use the nation’s billion-dollar potential for IT exports.
According to a press release from PM Office Media Wing, the prime minister presided over a review meeting on the IT and telecom sector that was attended by Shahzad Saleem, Governor State Bank of Pakistan Jameel Ahmed, Minister of Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Economic Affairs and Establishment Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja, and other pertinent senior officials. The prime minister emphasised throughout the meeting the benefits of initiating many IT-related projects during their previous administration.
He emphasised finding solutions for all banking-related problems that new businesses, independent contractors, and IT firms encounter. He expressed delight with the more than $3 billion in IT exports this year and highlighted the importance of further growth. He noted that significant work is needed to raise Pakistan’s IT industry to the level of international standards.
In addition, the prime minister asked for the delivery of an extensive report on special technological zones. The prime minister updated the meeting on the status of the IT package that was revealed in June 2023. IT exports saw a 13% growth over the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to the previous corresponding year, mostly due to PM Sharif’s special attention during his previous term.
Training has been provided to 4 million students from 17 batches—28% of whom are female—under the Digiskills project. According to the number of freelancers in the globe, Pakistan has become the second most popular nation. Furthermore, Pakistan exports IT goods to 170 nations worldwide.
The gathering was informed that $400 million had been invested in Pakistani startups in the preceding year. In order to draw in investment and increase IT exports, the prime minister oversaw the relevant legislative and policy changes. In order to effectively use youth’s potential in the IT industry, he also advocated for accelerating work on programmes intended to improve professional and technical training. The advancement of IT, E-Rozgar, startups, cybersecurity, the telecom industry, and the introduction of 5G were also briefed on during the conference.
