State Minister for Information and Technology Anusha Rehman Khan Monday urged the Pakistani information technology experts working in different countries to pool their resources for their homeland and help the government in establishing a Technology Park for the promotion of information technology. She was addressing the launching ceremony of “Startup Cup”, an initiative for encouraging new entrepreneurs to launch their business.
The minister said the government had taken the task of promoting information technology very seriously and expedited the work of the Ministry of Information and Technology which was kept pending due to various bureaucratic bottlenecks.
She said the government had allocated the land for establishing the Technology Park so that the information technology experts could find a place to excel their abilities and the country could be able to export expertise of information technology in a big way.
She said E-Government had been launched initially at the Prime Minister’s Office, Planning and Development, National Assembly and some other selected departments, which would be expanded to all the departments to ensure transparency in their affairs. Referring to Rs 6 billion Research and Development Fund, she said the fund would be utilised for major development in IT for the benefit of the country.
The minister said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his entire team was sincerely working to make the country an “Asian Tiger” in real terms through development in all the sectors. She said the government and private sector needed to be work together for the progress and prosperity of the country.
Lauding the American cooperation for encouraging the young entrepreneurs, she said there had been enough brain drain from Pakistan to the United States and now some of them, especially information technology experts, should come back.
Deputy Chief of the Mission of US Embassy Richard E Hoagland, speaking on the occasion, said young entrepreneurs were very important for the future of Pakistan and their encouragement would improve their skill. Appreciating the interest of young entrepreneurs, Richard
Hoagland said there were many success stories for starting new business by the young entrepreneurs, including women from FATA. He said the United Stated would continue it assistance in encouraging new entrepreneurs as they were the real asset of the country. Appreciating the intention of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to make Pakistan an “Asian Tiger”, he hoped that with the help of a dedicated team, the new government would achieve its objectives and the role of young entrepreneurs was very important in that regard. Syed Ahmed Mahmood and Murtaza Zaidi also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the importance of Startup Cup initiative to encourage the young entrepreneurs. The event Pakistan StartUp Cup is sponsored by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and it is a U.S.-based business plan competition aimed at promoting a culture of entrepreneurship. This initiative is representative of the US government’s commitment that trade and investment are the future of Pak-US relationship.
The “StartUp Cup” is one of many initiatives the US supports to strengthen entrepreneurship education in Pakistan. This 19-week contest will include coaching and mentoring sessions. The winner of Pakistan’s first StartUp Cup will be crowned during Global Entrepreneurship Week in late November. The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) was founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley by a group of successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and senior professionals with roots in the Indus region. There are currently more than 13,000 members and over 2,500 charter members in 61 chapters across 17 countries.
The TiE’s mission is to foster entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking, and education.
The StartUp Cup Business Model Competition is designed to stimulate entrepreneurial activity, grow jobs through startups, and increase awareness of the resources available to grow entrepreneurs in Pakistan.
Judges will review submitted Business Models and those selected to enter the Competition will be notified of their acceptance on or before August 20, and all selected participants will be required to attend `Build a Business Workshop’ in either Islamabad or Lahore or Karachi.
