Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) is an apex body of the Ministry of Information Technology established in 1995 with the mandate to grow and to promote Pakistan's IT Industry in local and international markets. PSEB has been facilitating IT industry through a series of projects and programs in infrastructure development, human/intellectual capital development, company capability development, international marketing and promotion of innovation and new technologies.
The company's governance structure consists of a 7 member Board of Directors. PSEB organizes its activities and its internal organization around Infrastructure Development, PSDP Project Management, Domestic Business, International Marketing, and Technical/Data Node Department. PSEB's mandate is to ensure sustainable development of Pakistan's Information Technology Industry, to bolster cooperation of Pakistan's IT sector with international entities and to attract IT companies to invest in Pakistan's IT sector.
Incentives for the international outsourcing community include 100% equity ownership, 100% repatriation of capital and dividends, income tax exemption on IT exports, and 7-year tax holiday for venture capital funds. PSEB works extensively with local and international trade associations, group experts and media, to bolster local IT industry and enhance cooperation with global IT Industry, associations and institutions.
Some of PSEB's achievements last year are as follows:
IT exports: As reported by State Bank, IT remittances increased by 41% during 2014-2015. Overall, the total IT exports are estimated to have more than doubled from $1 billion to $2.8 billion in the last two and a half years.
Companies registered with PSEB: Number of IT companies registered with PSEB has grown by 150 over the last two years approaching 1200 now.
International IT Exhibitions & Delegations: PSEB and its member IT companies exhibited at IT events in China, Dubai, Kenya, Gulf, and Spain generating more than 500 foreign leads. Some of these leads have converted to deals of $500,000 or more.
Feasibility Study for new IT park: Korea Exim Bank has started work on feasibility study for a new IT Park on PSEB's land in Chak Shahzad Islamabad (47.7 acres). Loan agreement is expected by Fall of 2016. IT park in Islamabad will be followed by studies and construction of new IT Parks on PSEB's land in Karachi and Lahore in future. An IT Park of a million square feet can generate exports of up to US $120 million a year.
12 Software Technology Parks: Currently, PSEB has 12 Software Technology Parks (STPs) in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi providing over 850,000 sq. ft. of IT-enabled office space. These STPs have been established by converting suitable third-party buildings through agreements with their owners.
Lease agreement signed for land in Karachi: PSEB signed an agreement with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in October 2015 for lease of six acres of land at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi. This land will be utilized for development of a new Information Technology (IT) Park equipped with all modern facilities.
Local IT Events: PSEB and its member IT companies participated in several local exhibitions including ITCN, Expo Pakistan, and Pak China Business Forum to create awareness about their software and services and to generate new leads.
Documentary on IT industry: PSEB developed a high quality documentary about Pakistan's IT industry and this is being used at local and international events to promote the industry. The documentary went viral on social media and has received very positive feedback from both local and foreign viewers.
Investor facilitation: PSEB facilitated investors from China, Kuwait, Bahrain, Australia, Germany, Japan, and Belgium who are exploring Pakistan's IT sector for investment.
Workshops for startups: Workshops have been organized with MIT Enterprise Forum of Pakistan and CEOs of leading IT companies to train IT startups and SMEs in business planning, sales and marketing, fund raising for launching successful IT businesses. First workshop was successfully held in November 2015 in Islamabad. Future workshops are being planned in Peshawar, Lahore, and Karachi.
Counseling Center: PSEB has established a Counseling Center on a 24x7 basis to guide and mentor fresh graduates, entrepreneurs and IT startups.
Internships: PSEB deployed 800 IT graduates/final-year students as interns at IT companies during 2013-15. Overall, 5,800 IT graduates/final-year students have been deployed as interns at IT companies during the last decade.
IT trainings: PSEB trained 200 IT interns in Gaming & Animation, Android Application Development, iPhone programming, Agile based mobile application development & Dot Net programming.
CMMI training: Trained 30 industry professionals on "Introduction to CMMI for Development" and 5 professionals on "Intermediate concepts of CMMI for Development". CMMI is Carnegie Melon's Capabilities Maturity Model for Integration which is a model for continuous improvement of processes and products, especially software.
Affordable bandwidth for IT companies: Reduced bandwidth tariff by 35% to make internet bandwidth more affordable for IT companies.