LAHORE: State Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Anusha Rehman inaugurated the National Incubation Centre (NIC) here at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), on Saturday.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony and later talking to the media, she said that after Islamabad, the opening of another NIC at LUMS, Lahore was as per manifesto of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) government, which envisages ‘Digital Revolution’ in Pakistan.
Anusha Rehman said that the National Incubation Centre is an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to improve the business objective and get them recognised in the global economy. The collaboration between the ministry of information technology and telecommunication, IGNITE, LUMS and other consortiums would turn this into a reality, she added.
The state minister also appreciated the endeavours, rendered by the IT ministry partners, who made NIC possible. She hoped that all start-ups would join the NIC to get their dreams come true.
Anusha Rehman said that the initiative of incubation centre had been launched under the leadership of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif with an objective to enable the young entrepreneurs to run and improve their businesses with the help of information technology.
The PML-N government, she said, had a matchless public service record, adding that the PML-N would again be elected to the government in the next general elections due to its massive development and public welfare projects. She added that the PML-N was very much united under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif.
The minister said that IT ministry was all set to start computer training of 110,000 female students by January 1, 2018, to enable them to earn a livelihood at their homes. Skill development in the field of information technology was being carried out as per vision of the prime minister and Punjab chief minister, asserting that introduction of 3G and 4G technology in Pakistan was a great success of the incumbent government, while 5G would be introduced in the country by the year 2020.
Earlier, in his welcome address, LUMS Vice Chancellor Dr Sohail Naqvi termed the NIC a great achievement. He mentioned that the NIC was an improved structure of LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship (LCE), established in May 2014, to explore companies having greater impact as well as improve and increase their production capacity.
On this occasion, IGNITE CEO Yusuf Hussain spoke of the NICs role in the knowledge economy of Pakistan and how these would become breeding grounds for sustainable growth and drive Pakistan’s economy forward with fourth industrial wave technologies.
Lahore NIC Director Faisal Jalil Sherjan said the centre would house the first-ever Makers Lab in Pakistan, a modern facility equipped with the latest technologies and smart equipment to bring ideas to life.
Syed Babar Ali, Fatema Venture’s CEO Ali Mukhtar, 47 Ventures Investment’s Country Director Khurram Zafar and others attended the ceremony.
