ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said the country’s Information Technology (IT) sector held tremendous potential for investment, revenue generation and economic development.

He emphasised that IT-solutions in government operations ensured transparency, speed of delivery and good-governance.

The prime minister expressed these views during a meeting with a delegation of technology giant Huawei led by Hou Tao, the company’s Global SVP (Technology) & President Middle East & Africa.

Minister for IT Amin ul Haque, Commerce Adviser Abdul Razaq Dawood, Board of Investment Chairman Atif R. Bukhari, Pakistan Telecom Authority Chairman Maj Gen (R) Aamir Azeem Bajwa and senior officers were present in the meeting.

The Huawei delegation comprised its Pakistan CEO Qiang Meng, Deputy CEO Ahmed Bilal Masud, Managing Director Weijie Gao, and Director Public Affairs Han Wu.

Huawei offers to formulate ICT White Paper

The prime minister appreciated the support provided by Huawei towards realising the objectives of Digital Pakistan.

He assured the delegation of full support from the government towards implementation of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions in Pakistan.

The delegation apprised the prime minister that Huawei was dedicated towards realising the IT initiatives of the government and in that regard planned to train 1,000 federal government employees. The company will also provide support in training university level students to equip them with latest IT skills.

Mr Tao said Huawei supported PM Khan’s vision to create a young skillful workforce in the field of IT.

Huawei also offered to formulate the ICT White Paper with the help of international consultants as well as identifying existing ICT systems and suggestions for improvements.

The company was also undertaking feasibility for setting up a mobile phone manufacturing facility in Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2020