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Ministry sets $1 billion IT export target by 2010
ZAHEER ABBASI
ISLAMABAD (February 20 2007): The Ministry of Information Technology has set $1 billion export target of IT-enabled services by 2010 and asked the China to construct IT parks each in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi on Built Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, it is learnt.
Sources said that these parks would be built to accommodate about 200,000 IT graduates in next three to four years to meet the set export targets. The ministry has also discussed the idea of setting up IT parks with the Prime Minister.
They said that the IT exports as reported by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), were $72.210 million during 2005-2006 which grew up to $48 million in the first half of 2006-07 ie till December 2006.
A 17-member Chinese delegation led by Zhao Wenzhi, Deputy Director General, Foreign Affairs Department of the Ministry of Information Industry included senior officials of Chinese Ministry of Information Industry and leading executives of ICT companies from China held talks with the IT Ministry officials and Managing Director Pakistan Software Export Board, Yusuf Hussain.
It was learnt that the Chinese delegation was shown sites selected for IT parks and asked to invest on BOT basis and import IT-enabled services from Pakistan instead of other countries. The IT Ministry will invite interested parties through advertisement if a positive response was not received from China which was offered for investment.
Presently, the USA, Canada and Europe are the major destinations of Pakistan IT enabled export. "The PSEB, working on different thrust areas, also took the issue of skilled manpower with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and asked it to improve the standard of IT education. The bandwidth quality is another issue needed to be addressed if the target is to be achieved," they added.
They said that the Pak-China Joint Working Group on Information Technology had also agreed to enhance collaboration in IT would evolve strategies to target global markets and also increase trade between the two countries.
The meeting noted that the Chinese IT industry has achieved rapid growth in the last four years with domestic revenue at $48 billion. IT exports and outsourcing in China also witnessed a rapid growth.
Talib Baloch Secretary PSEB talking to Business Recorder said officials of both the countries recognised that Pak-China collaboration in Information Technology would benefit both the countries. He said that the eight strategic areas have been identified as facilitation, human resource development, industry finance, marketing, office space provision, public policy, quality and telecom bandwidth provision to achieve the target.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2007