ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Anusha Rahman on Friday said that Pakistan has friendly investment policies particularly focusing on promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship.
She expressed these views while talking to Senior Advisor of the International Trade Center of the lead UN Agency for Development of Trade and Commerce (UNCTAD) James Howe Leslie in Islamabad.
The meeting discussed many issues of mutual interest including E-commerce platforms and other value chain component as well as E-solutions. The discussion was with specific reference to enabling Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to have viable online businesses.
The minister apprised James that, “Pakistan has taken many concrete steps to create an enabling environment for E-commerce online businesses. Pakistan is spearheading E-commerce related initiative in World Trade Organisation (WTO) and our mission at WTO is bringing together like minded countries to take forward the E-commerce related agenda.”
He highlighted that “The infrastructure in Pakistan that had been put in place in IT and telecom sector and informed the delegate that we have created a holistic digital ecosystem so that online businesses could flourish.”
She said that “we have already connected more than 40 million people through mobile broadband in the last two years. In this regard we have established National Incubation Center with public private partnership and going to establish three more such incubation centers in three major cities.”
She said that “we are also bringing a program through the USF to facilitate SMEs and MSMEs to bring them online. Several initiatives have being undertaken for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) penetration in Pakistan such as ‘ICT for Girls’ program.”
She underscored the importance of training for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to go online market their products and fully benefit from the potential of E-commerce. She also shared the details of recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on E-commerce signed between the government of Pakistan and Alibaba who agreed to impart training to Pakistani MSMEs to come online, in addition to their future investment strategy in Pakistan.
She further invited James and ITC to collaborate with the USF and to help them with appropriate design and the actual implementation of the SME related E-commerce initiative.
James appreciated the developments in E-commerce arena in Pakistan and opined that, “There is a unique opportunity in Pakistan in the area of E-commerce. Rigorous efforts are already being undertaken which will provide impetus to E-commerce and online businesses.”
He also assured continued support and collaboration from ITC to the various stakeholders of Ministry of IT to enable sound outcomes for the government.
