ICT industry in Pakistan: Ministry, JICA commencing project to strength business collaboration

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are commencing the project for strengthening business collaboration of the ICT industry in Pakistan aimed at increasing Pakistan’s ICT industry exports to Japan.

The formal Record of Discussions was signed by Ali Asghar (senior joint secretary MoITT), Kinoshita Yasumitsu (chief representative JICA Pakistan Office), Zeeshan Khattak (chief commercial officer Pakistan Software Export Board), and Hamid Karim (deputy secretary Economic Affairs Division, Japan), here on Friday.

Additional Secretary MoITT Aisha Humera Moriani, AsfandYar Khan, director general IT, MoITT, Raza Sukhera, chief industry development officer, PSEB and other officials from PSEB and JICA witnessed the occasion.

This strategic partnership aims to propel Pakistan’s ICT sector onto the international stage, fostering collaborations, joint ventures, and export opportunities.

This JICA-funded collaborative effort, titled, “The Project for Strengthening the Business Collaboration of ICT Industry in Pakistan,” spans three years and is to be executed by the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB).

The project objectives are to increase Pakistan’s ICT industry exports to Japan and establish and operate a framework for promoting Pakistan’s ICT industry in Japan. Furthermore, the key initiatives are: (1) Develop a portal site for Pakistani ICT companies to facilitate business matching; (2) Promote the use of credit information for business matching with Japanese companies; (3). Strengthen the ICT export promotion planning capacity of the PSEB; (4) Improve operational capacity for promoting business matching between Pakistan’s ICT industry and Japanese industries. The JICA will provide insights into Japanese market dynamics, competition, and product positioning. This collaboration will facilitate capacity-building programs, training workshops, and business networking events to enhance the skills of Pakistani ICT professionals, entrepreneurs, and startups.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023