“The IT sector in Pakistan has shown consistent growth over the last few years, giving us a glimpse of its potential. Support from the government and the academia towards improving ease of doing business, tax concessions, promoting research and development, and producing skilled human resources can do wonders for Pakistan,” said Umair Azam, Founder and CEO, Integration Xperts.

Umair expressed these views at a panel discussion titled ‘IT Exports & Way Forward’ at the Global Digital Summit 2023 held in Islamabad recently.

He said that the export of ICT services, including telecommunication, computer and information services, reached US$2.6 billion in FY22, from US$ 2.1 billion in FY21, and it can increase considerably by focusing on cloud deployments, and ivestment in newer technologies like IoT and Artificial Intelligence.

Also, he added, there is a need to develop and train human resources and provide them with lucrative opportunities in Pakistan to arrest the brain drain. Moreover, said Umair, local organisations should invest in R&D to work on revolutionary ideas to strengthen Pakistan’s position on the global front. Umair said that by focusing on niche markets and building strong relationships with international partners, there is no reason Pakistan cannot exponentially grow its IT exports by 2025.

President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi was the chief guest at the summit, where more than 300 stakeholders, thought leaders, and innovators from the IT industry participated. The president also presented the CXO Excellence Award to Umair Azam, Founder and CEO, Integration Xperts, to acknowledge the company as a top performer in the IT industry of Pakistan.