The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is fast making headways to develop a primary infrastructure to augment its information technology sector with linking all key businesses to post a bigger growth in agriculture, healthcare, tourism etc. There are already two information technology parks in the province - one in Peshawar and the other in Abbotabad to support 70 software developing companies with 80 percent rent and as many power subsidies, besides free of cost broadband facility.
"Software development growth stands at around $5 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which is likely to mount further in coming years," Director KP IT-Board, Asim Jamshed told Business Recorder at CIO Summit and Expo held at a local hotel on Tuesday.
He said that the province was setting up new excellence centres in each division to help the youth attain skills in computer basic and advance education with a view to generate more business-oriented employment.
"The government plans to look after the youth showing aptitude for IT learning in the province and is setting up IT excellence centres in each division headquarter at a cost of Rs240 million," Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IT Department, Farah Hamid Khan told Business Recorder.
At present, she said, the department produced some 350 qualified students through holding short courses to fulfil the growing demands of employers for skilled professionals on the market. "Eight out of them have set up their companies," he pointed out.
The investment is all set to build basic infrastructure in remote parts of the province, she said, adding that the youth had a bigger appeal for IT sector and becoming computer professionals.
The government, Farah said, is also linking its IT infrastructure to the universities to spread the network effectively and with a wider students' participation. "There are 20 public sector and nine private sector universities across the province," she added.
She regretted over the decade-long war that turned virtually the government's key departments dysfunctional but vowed to resurrect the province's IT sector with renewed zeal to keep it standards up with the world.
"I am seeking more contacts to spread my business across the world," Executive Director, Parexons - an IT solutions and services firm, Sajjad Ali told Business Recorder, hoping his participation along with scores of other IT companies at the CIO Summit and Expo would bring new buyers for him.
Hailing from insurgency-plagued Swat valley, he was delighted to share his firm's progress in providing services and solutions to different small and big companies in human resource managements. "My firm has also fetched order from Saudi Arabia," he said.
At a primary cost of Rs180, 000, he offers complete software package for companies facing problems in managing their human resource. If a company cannot afford the software, it is also offered on a monthly package to use it through online server Parexons, he said.
"It [software] provides a company with a number of features for instance employees' bio-data, performance evaluation, attendance management, complaints registration, salaries management and several others." He said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department had also acquired his firm's services.
"I have initiated the business with Rs2 million investment, which is altogether an indigenous and locally-operated software firm without any financial and technical assistance from outside," he pointed out.
Terming the software 'most popular' among NGOs, he said that his firm was also seeking joint-ventures and partnership with other organisations to expand the setup from existing level. He said that the firm was posting a better growth as peace and stability was returning to the province.
Sajjad was hopeful of his new product on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tourism, saying that it would be out soon on the market and its application could be downloaded free of cost. "We are working on diverse lines to satisfy the rising IT market demands in the country and abroad," he said.
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