Ahmed Khan Malik

Information Technology (IT) and ITeS have yielded fruitful results in Sindh in terms of jobs creation for freelancers as well as boosting the foreign exchange. Speaking to WealthPK, Consultant Sindh IT Minister Taimur Siddiqui said it is a part of ‘Digital Pakistan Vision’ to enhance the footprint of digital economy, and to spur economic prosperity and public empowerment. He said the Sindh government is striving for the socio-economic prosperity of its people by making the IT services more accessible, affordable, and universal. The provincial government is investing in digital economy, which it sees as a key driver of social inclusion and economic growth. A comprehensive strategy has been developed that focuses on capacity-building of the public and private sector entities besides providing an appropriate infrastructure and platforms in the field of IT, he said. The key pillars of the strategy include e-governance, IT infrastructure, human capital development, innovation and entrepreneurship development, export of IT and IT Enabled Services (ITeS), Fintech, e-commerce and digital platforms, privacy and security, and partnership and collaboration. There are 5,109 IT and ITeS companies registered with the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) as of March 2023 representing the exporters.

The major tech hubs of IT and ITeS industry are Lahore (36.4 percent), Karachi (28 percent), and Islamabad/Rawalpindi (27 percent) of the PSEB registered companies. The remaining 10 percent of registered companies are spread all over the country. Taimur said relevant stakeholders are striving to increase the number of companies by expanding the Software Technology Parks (STPs) and empowering the IT and ITeS industry to tap into the national talent pool. In Sindh, the IT industry comprises the youngest workforce with the highest proportion of women as company founders and startup owners. Women are working at technical, managerial, and executive level positions. There have been several startup success stories and young girls and boys are working from metropolitan city of Karachi to Hyderabad and even in remote areas like Thar and Jacobabad. In the IT and ITeS industry, trade surplus of US$1.72 billion (88.6 percent of total IT export remittances) was achieved during the first nine months (July-March) of FY2023 (an increase of 16.7 percent) compared to the trade surplus of US$1.47 billion for the same period last year. Sindh contributed immensely to this export volume.

Credit: INP-WealthPk