Integration specialist CEO seeks concerted efforts to boost Pakistan’s IT exports – tech
Umair Azam, CEO and founder of IT firm Integration Experts, has said that YouTubers, freelancers and other IT professionals are leaving Pakistan in large numbers due to lack of concerted efforts to promote the sector.
Talking to a group of journalists on Tuesday, he said that the IT sector has the potential to increase the country’s exports.
“Investing in the technology sector is the fastest way to increase Pakistan’s exports,” Azam said at his office in Karachi. “People (various companies and government departments) in Pakistan are working as if they are on separate islands. No concerted effort is being made.”
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Integration experts are a cloud implementation and professional services providing IT company. The company has over 180 employees and has presence in Pakistan, UAE, Australia, Malaysia and USA.
“IT can help the ailing national economy get back on track not only by directly contributing to inflows and job creation, but also by supporting local organizations in improving their efficiency and profitability, thereby generating more revenue for the government. “
He said that the IT sector has consistently contributed to the GDP in the last 10 years but its exports constitute only 1% of the GDP. It has substantial potential to increase exports by about four times in the next few years.
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“Exports from the industry can be increased from the current $2.6 billion to $12-15 billion in the next few years, but there is a dire need for vision and collective efforts by various entities.
“If the country prepares 1 million youth to enter this field, they can easily earn $1,000 monthly. It will be difficult but it can be made possible if collective efforts are made.
However, he lamented the fact that out of 25,000 students who graduate every year to join the sector, only 1.5-2% are fit to be hired.
“Companies will have to work on the remaining graduates for 6-12 months to make them fit to generate revenue for them. After that, many of them go abroad for better opportunities. About one million people have left Pakistan in the last one year.
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Meanwhile, he said that the manufacturing sector in Pakistan should respond to the international demand for digitization or else countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam would consume their businesses in the next few years.
“Foreign companies want real-time access (to their suppliers’ production facilities) to check compliance requirements as well as quality control. If you don’t give them what they need, they’ll go elsewhere, “They said.
In the meantime, he cited that businesses look beyond the cloud and examine IoT, machine learning and artificial intelligence, which have the potential to fundamentally change the way business operates.
For example, SenseR, a state-of-the-art retail demographics solution created by IX, can better measure customers’ in-store behavior by using CCTV cameras to help measure the impact of marketing campaigns on sales forecasting, customer segmentation and footfall generation. Helps organizations to understand
“A leading fashion retail outlet has been using the solution across more than 100 stores for several years and it has significantly enhanced their customer experience,” said Azam.
Sharing the future plans of his company, he said that they may go for the IPO in Pakistan Stock Exchange in 2027. HBL, UBL, K-Electric, Jazz, JS Bank and MCB are among its clients. Azam said that his firm is the largest partner of Oracle in Pakistan.
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