Govt eyes $10bn IT exports in 3 years

Care­taker Minister for Infor­mation Technology and Telecommunications Dr Umar Saif unveiled the first IT and ITeS Export Strategy on Thursday, aiming to increase IT exports to $10 billion in the next three years. Dr Saif stated that the Pakistan Software Export Board, under the Ministry of IT and Telecomm­unication, collaborated with Pricewater­house­Coo­pers (PwC) and other international partners, including faculty from the University of Oxford, to develop “this strategy, which closely aligns with our vision”. Dr Saif emphasised that information and communications technology is the key to opening the door to stabilising and strengthening Pakistan’s economy. At present, Pakistan’s IT exports stand at $2.6 billion, and Dr Saif said that an additional 200,000 skilled human resources will be incorporated into the existing IT workforce to boost exports by $5 billion. He said that allowing IT companies to keep dollars through the ‘Dollar Retention Facility’ will increase exports by $1bn, while the establishment of the ‘Pakistan Startup Fund’ will increase the total volume of IT exports by another $1bn to help it meet the target of $10bn.