Pakistan emerging as hub of digital innovation in region, says Umar Saif
Technology
Dr Saif encouraged investments in Pakistani startups during Qatar IT conference
ISLAMABAD (APP) - Caretaker Federal Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MOITT) Dr Umar Saif says Pakistan is emerging as the hub of information and communication technology (ICT) and digital innovation in the region.
During his address at the Pak-Qatar IT Conference in Doha, he highlighted Pakistan’s abundance of talent and success stories in innovation and entrepreneurship.
He said Qatar was home to many Pakistani workers, urging Pakistan's IT companies to leverage this resourceful Qatar diaspora to establish a foothold in the Qatari market.
Earlier, Dr Saif inaugurated the Pak-Qatar IT Conference, a collaborative effort mainly involving the Ministry of IT and Telecom (MOITT), the Embassy of Pakistan in Qatar, and the Pakistan Business Council Qatar with support from the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), said a news release on Monday.
This conference featured esteemed speakers from the public and private sectors, along with representatives from IT companies of both countries, showcasing their expertise and strengths.
Dr Saif also shared Qatar’s forward-looking vision in expanding its knowledge economy, underscoring the potential for Pakistani businesses to not only offer tech solutions but also collaborate in global ventures.
The minister further said Qatar had taken a big leap in establishing data centres, bringing Microsoft Azure Cloud here, and Pakistan had a lot of capability in cloud management, data centre operations, and cloud applications.
Dr Saif encouraged investments in Pakistani startups, expressing confidence that the country was poised to produce the next billion-dollar unicorn.
The Pakistani IT delegation to Qatar, led by Dr Umar Saif, comprising representatives from the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Pakistan Software Houses Association (PSHA), and 30 leading IT companies, is on a 4-day official visit to attend the conference.
The primary objective of this delegation was to foster synergy between the two nations in the IT domain and explore opportunities for trade and collaboration. Alongside the IT conference, there are a series of meetings aimed at establishing a conducive environment for business collaboration in the IT sector for both nations.
The Pak-Qatar IT Conference served as a platform to unlock new possibilities for Pakistani IT businesses in Qatar, creating opportunities for collaboration and trade.
Yousuf Mohamed Al Jaida, the Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Financial Centre, emphasised the organisation’s dedication to fostering an environment that promotes robust knowledge exchange, propels the development of IT, and embraces the seamless adoption of digital innovations.
