ISLAMABAD: President Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan Thursday said that the youth of AJK and Pakistan had immense potential for entrepreneurship.

Incubation centres were playing an important role in accelerating an entrepreneurial environment by bringing the academia and industries closer to start-ups, he added.

The AJK president made these remarks while speaking to the top management of the National Incubation Centre during a visit to their Islamabad Office, said a press release issued here.

He acknowledged the very conducive and enabling environment provided at National Incubation Centre (NIC) and also praised the leadership, who hold national and international exposure, for creating an inclusive eco-system.

He said that our youth must be encouraged to acquire the necessary skills to become successful entrepreneurs to create more jobs in the country for themselves and others instead of seeking jobs.

Masood Khan said that the AJK government had waking up to the opportunities being provided because of new technologies.

He said that the AJK public-sector universities were providing degrees in emerging technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, cloud computing.

The president said that a business incubation centre had been established in Mirpur with the help of the business and the diaspora community.

He welcomed the inauguration of a new incubation centre in Mirpur by NIC and also urged them to plan another incubation centre in Kotli as the University of Kotli specialises in Information Technology. “In AJK we need new technologies and innovations in agriculture, waste management and tourism.We need to understand how to create mass awareness and harness these technologies for the prosperity of Pakistan”, he said.

The president said we would welcome NIC to AJK and the AJK IT Board along with the public sector universities would collaborate to make this programme a success in AJK.