Pakistan's IT exports reach $175 million in 2007-08: PSEB MD: Online News

ISLAMABAD:Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) has reached the figure of USD 175 million annual IT exports during the financial year 2007-08 about USD 13 million more than the USD 162 million target set for the said year.

"We are satisfied with the pace of progress of the local IT sector and ambitious about its further growth in future as this is the only industry in Pakistan that has registered a remarkable growth during the last five years," MD PSEB Talib Baloch said in a recent statement issued here.

Pakistan IT exports of US$116 million for the FY06-07 were also in excess to the set target of US$108 million, he disclosed. "This sector has consecutively registered 50 per cent annual growth in exports for the last five years showing its tremendous potential. If nurtured fully the IT industry could result in voluminous economic and commercial benefits."

He was of the view that the country's annual IT related exports could have been over USD 220 million had the power crisis not hit the national economy. "Longer load shedding hours have adversely affected the productivity of many ICT companies. However, despite these odds, PSEB is hopeful to exceed the targeted volume of exports in the forthcoming year(s)," he added.

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Scope exists for boosting IT ties with Canada: Dawn

By Latafat Ali Siddiqui

TORONTO, May 2: There is a big scope of cooperation between Ottawa and Islamabad in the field of information technology, said the leader of Pakistan’s IT delegation here on Thursday.Headed by Aon Ashraf Rana, Director, Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), the 21-member delegation comprised representatives of 16 leading Pakistani IT and software development companies.The delegation visited Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto where they met parliamentarians and officials of leading Canadian IT firms and banks.While in Toronto, the delegation met John Wilkinson, the Provincial Minister for Research and Innovation, and Dr Shafiq Qaadri and Yasir Naqvi, members of Ontario’s Provincial Parliament.The delegation also attended a reception hosted by Canada-Pakistan Business Council (CPBC).Ashraf Rana told Dawn that Pakistan was making rapid progress in the field of information technology. “Our fast growing IT industry will be worth $11 billion in 2011,” he said.He also said Pakistan had been promoting the brand image of its IT industry globally through participation in trade fairs and specialised exhibitions.These fairs and exhibitions, he added, provide an interactive platform to PSEB member companies to practically demonstrate their capabilities and simultaneously promote Pakistan as an “attractive outsourcing gateway of the global IT industry”.Speaking at a reception held here in honour of the delegation, Pakistan’s Consul General Tassaduq Hussain said his country was an attractive destination for IT services, especially for outsourcing as IT and telecommunication were among the fastest growing sectors in Pakistan.

Original Link: http://www.dawn.com/2008/05/03/ebr20.htm