The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication on Friday presented a comprehensive action plan to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, aiming to boost the country’s IT exports to $25 billion over the next five years.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had set an ambitious target for the IT ministry, chaired a review meeting where he appreciated the proposed action plan and directed its timely implementation, according to a press release from the PM Office.
The action plan outlined reforms across various IT-related sectors and measures to address the challenges facing the industry.
The prime minister emphasized that Pakistan possesses abundant skilled manpower and resources. He noted that effective utilization of these resources and the skill enhancement of the workforce could push IT exports even beyond the $25 billion target.
He instructed relevant departments to work collaboratively to address the challenges hindering IT sector reforms and assured the participants that he would personally oversee the implementation process.
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) was directed to formulate an action plan for providing education and skills training of international standards to the youth.Â
The prime minister also called for the implementation of proposals to meet the Gulf countries’ increasing demand for IT professionals and tasked the IT ministry with defining targets and timelines for export growth. He further directed the formation of a committee to monitor the implementation of reforms and facilitate inter-departmental collaboration.
During the briefing, it was highlighted that prioritizing the IT sector had resulted in a 34% increase in IT exports over the last four months. Pakistan’s global IT ranking had improved from 79th to 40th, while the e-governance ranking rose by 14 points, and 2,500 new IT companies were registered.
For the next five years, the targets set include $15 billion in IT exports, $10 billion in digitization, and $1 billion in telecom exports.
The meeting was also briefed on the Labor Management System, which focuses on building workforce capacity through collaboration with educational institutions using industry demand data.
The IT ministry presented a project aimed at facilitating freelancers and youth in remittance processes. The prime minister appreciated these efforts, particularly the measures regarding international patent gateways, and directed immediate implementation.
Expressing satisfaction with the action plan, the prime minister lauded the IT minister and her team for their work.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja, and senior government officials.
