Minister of State for IT Ms. Anusha Rahman said that we are committed to make IT & Telecom as the fastest growing sector in the region. Therefor Tech City and other such incubation projects are on cards which will provide an eco-system to the startups & entrepreneurs. She stated this while addressing to the participants of “2-days workshop for launching IT startups and entrepreneurs organized by PSEB at Islamabad today. Additional Secretary IT Babar Hasan Bharwana, MD PSEB Asim Sheryar, Member IT Tahir Mushtaq ED NITB, Syed Iftekhar Shah and Senior officials from Microsoft and Ministry of IT were also present in the inaugural session of the workshop.
Ms. Anusha Rehman mentioned that Ministry of IT has declared 2015 as the year of IT and has instructed PSEB to launch a series of workshops to help IT startups and entrepreneurs so that they can grow their IT business and exports. She mentioned that Korea Eximbank has started feasibility study for a new state-of-the-art IT Park on PSEB’s land in Islamabad. The goal is to sign agreement with Korea Eximbank by next year to be followed by a groundbreaking ceremony. She said that government’s goal is to create an enabling environment and infrastructure for the IT industry and it is up to the SMEs and large IT companies to market their products and services internationally to grow IT exports. She mentioned that according to State Bank of Pakistan, IT remittances have grown by 41% since last year and IT exports are 10% of Pakistan’s total services exports at present and the goal of ministry and PSEB is to take IT exports from $2.2 billion at present to more than $5 billion by 2017. For this purpose, PSEB has planned different support programs including participation in international IT exhibitions with IT companies, local IT events, meetings with foreign IT visitors, CMMI training and certification, capacity building through internships and trainings, and infrastructure in the form of new IT parks. The minister emphasized that IT companies should report their foreign remittances through the banking channel so that PSEB can get an accurate picture of IT exports of Pakistan. MD PSEB, Mr. Asim Shahryar Husain, highlighted about PSEB’s contributions to IT industry with in last year and also shared plans for next year.
The workshop was attended by executives of IT startups from Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar as well as officials from ministry of IT and PSEB. The second day of the workshop will involve all startups presenting their business plans followed by CEOs of large IT companies talking about their success stories. So the workshop will be a hands-on learning experience for IT startups and entrepreneurs. PSEB will be conducting similar workshops for startups in Lahore, Karachi, and other cities also next year.
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