IT potential showcased at Davos

The highlight of the IT delegation's visit was the Pakistan Pavilion, organised by Pathfinder Group

By Our Correspondent

January 21, 2024

Davos: (L-R) Bloomberg Television´s journalist Francine Lacqua, Singapore´s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan, President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Christine Lagarde, Co-chairman of the private equity firm of The Carlyle Group David Rubenstein, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner and World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala attend a session on the closing day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting. —AFP

LAHORE: The private-sector IT industry showcased its potential and achievements at the World Economic Forum 2024 in Davos, Switzerland, where it received positive attention from renowned investors, entrepreneurs and tech founders, a statement said.

The highlight of the IT delegation's visit was the Pakistan Pavilion, organised by Pathfinder Group, which displayed the country's progress and opportunities in various tech sectors.

Chairman of Pakistan Software Houses Associations (P@SHA) Muhammad Zohaib Khan represented the country's private-sector at the forum and delivered a keynote speech on the theme of "Digital Pakistan".

He praised Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) as the catalyst for generating interest in Pakistan among foreign investors.

Khan also informed that federal caretaker minister for information technology and telecom (MoITT), Dr. Umar Saif, accompanied the IT industry's delegation to meet with representatives of various multinational companies and explore potential linkages. Khan said that MoITT has been instrumental in bringing funding to Pakistan for skills development and training programs.

He also highlighted that special technology zones are becoming another major avenue for foreign direct investment (FDI) in Pakistan as they offer facilitative measures such as land, civic amenities, communications infrastructure and a conducive environment to tech-related businesses.

Khan said the multinationals are impressed by Pakistan's abundant IT workforce, which will continue to expand every year as the country’s youth accounts for 65 percent of its total population.

He urged Pakistani companies, investors, freelancers, students and IT professionals to upscale their game in these emerging technologies, which will rule the tech landscape in the future..