Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said a complete digital ecosystem and supporting infrastructure are being introduced to enhance IT exports to 30 billion dollars. He was chairing a meeting to review the progress of reforms in IT Sector and restructuring of National Information Technology Board in Islamabad today. The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Information Technology to present a comprehensive roadmap for achieving annual targets and necessary measures to surpass the 30 billion dollars export goal, following the successful attainment of last year’s target of 3.8 billion dollar. He said the government is taking priority measures to digitize Pakistan, boost the economy, and align it with modern global standards. The Prime Minister further instructed to restructure the National Information Technology Board and to recruit the best talent from the market. He commended the establishment of centres to empower youth, especially women, for self-reliance in the IT sector. Shehbaz Sharif said the implementation of e-office has enabled paperless governance in government offices, saving both time and resources. He added thousands of youth are securing respectable employment through the Digital Youth Hub. He said the government is equipping the young with education and IT skills to make them market competitive at the international level. The meeting was informed that under the National Incubation Center, support was provided to three hundred and eighty-six new startups, fourteen were sent to the international level and forty e-employment centers were established in twenty-six cities across the country. Investment agreements and memorandums of understanding worth 700 million dollars were signed. The meeting was further informed that about three hundred and fifteen thousand students were provided with professional IT training, including around one hundred and fifteen thousand women, in order to ensure equal opportunities for women in the field of Information Technology. The meeting was informed that in the previous fiscal year, telecom connections crossed the 200 million mark, with the addition of one million new internet users and a twenty-four percent increase in internet usage.
Digital ecosystem being introduced to boost IT exports: PM
