IT minister appointed as STI President

ISLAMABAD: Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque has been appointed as President of Global Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Committee of the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF), a sub-organization of G20 countries.

The WBAF has selected Pakistan from 127 countries for the office of Committee’s President while India was also in a queue to hold this important position.

However, the position was secured by the Pakistan, a news release said here on Monday.

The appointment of Syed Amin Ul Haque as President of the STI Committee was based on his prominent role in the IT and Telecom sector in Pakistan.

The organization encourages and supports startups and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) around the world, besides ensuring practical steps to promote science, technology and innovation.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey and several other world leaders are members of the organization.

Syed Amin Ul Haque said “it is an honor for Pakistan, and I hope that it will pave the way for Pakistan to become a technology hub in South Asia.”

He said as per the commitment of Prime Minister Imran Khan, now Pakistani artisans would have access to international level le start-ups, while small business entrepreneurs and companies would have access to global investors.

The minister said that Pakistan's IT, science, technology and telecommunication sectors would be opened to the world, which would result in business development, foreign investment and employment opportunities in the country.

Amin said the position of the President of STI Committee would greatly help in Pakistan's access to foreign investors, multi-million dollar funds from all over the world, fulfilling digital vision of Pakistan and country's economic stability.

Small businesses, technology companies, creative professionals and start-ups will have easier access to investors, while Pakistan has a great forum for branding around the world, he added.

A high level team of the Ministry of IT has been working for several months to showcase Pakistani artisans, start-ups and SMEs, all over the world and to encourage foreign investors to come to Pakistan.

The WBAF is an international organization aiming to ease access to finance for businesses from start up to scale up, with the ultimate goal of generating more jobs and more social justice worldwide.

It is committed to collaborating globally to empower world economic development by creating innovative financial instruments for innovators, start-ups, and SMEs.

As an affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), the WBAF Angel Investment Fund is designed to capitalize on the worldwide growth in entrepreneurial activity and venture financing for start-ups and scale-ups and to benefit from WBAF’s extensive network of global investors, including angel investors, private equity funds, co-investment platforms, and wealth management institutions, family offices, VCs and acceleration centers.

The Global Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Committee is committed to connecting innovators with smart finance, creating a better environment for innovation, helping inventors commercialize their inventions, fostering the kind of creative thinking that leads to innovation by open learning and skill development, and accelerating technology transfer around the world.