Importance of IT Sector
The only solution to get the country out of the economic crisis is to increase exports. For this, while the difficulties faced by the textile industry, which is the largest contributor to exports, needs to be removed, it is also necessary to increase the capacity of other sectors for an immediate increase in exports. In this regard, the IT sector is very important because there are unlimited opportunities to increase exports in this sector and it does not require much investment like the textile industry or other productive sectors. It is noteworthy that Pakistan’s IT companies and freelancers have already honed their skills globally without much government support or assistance. However, now the need is being strongly felt to improve the “ecosystem” required for this sector by giving it the status of a regular industry.
The happy thing in this regard is that currently the portfolio of the Federal Minister for Information Technology is held by Dr. Umar Saif, who is not only aware of the potential of this sector but also fully aware of the problems faced by this sector. After taking charge of the ministry, he has taken valuable steps for the development of this sector in a short period of time. Recently, he represented the Government of Pakistan and signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia, paving the way for foreign investment in Pakistan’s IT companies and startups. The MoU aims to promote research and innovation through joint ventures, training programs and innovation centers, centers of excellence and university branches for advanced technologies. Besides, the two countries will also improve their digital infrastructure by expanding their fiber optic networks, data centers and cloud computing connectivity. Under this memorandum of understanding, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have also opened avenues for cooperation in e-governance, smart infrastructure, e-health, e-education and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud computing, e-gaming and block chain.
It should be noted that during the last five years, the exports of Pakistan’s IT sector have almost doubled. However, the statistics of the last few years also show that there is no continuity in the growth rate of this sector. The main reason for this is the global political and economic conditions and the policies of the Pakistani governments, which directly affect the working environment and financial affairs of IT companies and freelancers. It is worth mentioning here that if the basic problems faced by Pakistan’s IT industry are solved, IT exports can be increased from 2.5 billion dollars per year to 15 to 20 billion dollars per year in a short period of time.
For the development of the IT industry, the establishment of modern IT parks and incubation centers along with the improvement of telecom services and increase in internet bandwidth are very important. To attract foreign IT companies to invest in Pakistan, preparation of skilled manpower according to modern requirements and global standards and continuous development of infrastructure and improvement in uninterrupted power supply are also indispensable.
Also, for sustainable development in this sector, it is necessary to link IT education institutions with international certification to increase technology-based subjects and specialized IT expertise in Pakistan. Along with this, in order to keep the IT sector on the journey of development on a long-term basis, it is also important to expose students to this important sector at the school level. In this way, we will have a workforce built on strong foundations from an early age in the form of a new generation ready to meet the talent requirements of the future.
Keeping in view the geographical conditions and social tradition of Pakistan, the IT sector can also play an important role in empowering women. If education and training is focused on the field of information technology from the elementary classes of female students, then in the future, Pakistan can not only have a large batch of the best IT experts, but many women can earn respectable jobs at home. Along with the development of the country, they will be able to play an important role in improving the quality of life of their families. In this way, not only the participation of women in this industry will increase, but also the soft image of Pakistan will be improved at the global level.
In this regard, the government should encourage “stem” education for girls and provide funding to women-oriented tech programs on a priority basis to increase the representation of women in the IT sector. Also, IT companies should encourage women’s participation in the sector by implementing gender inclusive policies, safe transportation, day care and improving professional development opportunities.
Currently, Pakistan is cementing its reputation globally as a cutting-edge IT and digital services delivery hub. Therefore, if the government focuses on the infrastructure, education, and policy support of this sector, significant progress can be made towards making Pakistan economically independent by improving the global competitiveness of this sector.