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Pakistan offers help to Sudan in IT sector
PAKISTAN is ready to assist Sudan in the IT sector by initiating joint ventures and transferring expertise and technical know-how for socio-economic development.
The offer was made to Sudan’s ambassador to Pakistan Daffa Alla Elhag Ali Osman by Minister for Information Technology Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari last week.
Pakistan is ready to offer training and technical expertise to help implement e-government projects in Sudan through Pakistani companies that had already successfully executed big e-government projects such as the issuance of computerized identity cards to citizens.
Mr Leghari told the Sudanese envoy that Pakistan’s IT sector had shown a healthy growth during the last two years. The skilled workforce had helped the local IT industry register about 50 per cent growth in the export of IT-enabled services and products to the outside world.
Government policies in the IT and telecom sector had already brought about remarkable and radical changes in the sector, providing for a conducive and investment-friendly environment for international businesses.
“Our effort is to play the role of a facilitator with minimum government interference which has gone a long way in attracting billions of dollars in investment in the telecom sector,” he added.
Awais Leghari said the government was also making serious efforts to privatize PTCL and major international players from USA, Singapore, Malaysia and UAE had shown interest in investing in the company.
“The prime minister is keen to oversee progress on this major initiative and has established the e-government commission, headed by him, to give plans and targets to different ministries to ensure a timely implementation of the e-government project,” Mr Leghari said.
Daffa Alla Elhag Ali Osman thanked Awais Leghari for the support, saying his country would love to benefit from the successes gained by Pakistan in the IT and telecom sector. He also invited the minister to visit Sudan and meet key people in the IT and telecom industry to explore ways of forging joint ventures.
Sudanese businessmen are keen to enter into mutually beneficial partnerships with their Pakistani counterparts and the minister’s visit to Sudan would prove to be very decisive and fruitful in furthering ties between the two countries
Upgrading AEMC, SIUT
Sindh has sought Rs404.8 million from the federal government to upgrade the Atomic Energy Medical Centre (AEMC) and modernize the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) in Karachi.
Sources said that the Sindh government has informed the centre that most of the current equipment of AEMC needed replacement. It also said that the AEMC’s building was old and needed renovation. New equipment would increase the center’s efficiency.
The Sindh government maintained that the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) was playing a leading role through nuclear medical institutes for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer using latest technical developments in the field.
The upgradation will develop facilities which will help in maximizing established nuclear medicines. Currently, the number of new patients being registered at the centre is 25,000 to 30,000 per annum. After adding the new facilities, the number of patients may increase up to 30,000 to 35,000 annually.
HEC funding research
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) is funding 129 research projects being conducted at 36 public-sector universities and institutions of higher learning.
During this academic year, over 500 research proposals were received out of which 129 were selected for financial assistance to a maximum of Rs2 million each.
The major objectives behind extending research grants are to promote scientific research in basic and applied sciences as well as social sciences and humanities to strengthen the indigenous capacity of scientists and prevent exodus of talent from the country.
Lack of basic equipment, laboratory supplies and scientific literature are often impediments towards the productivity of many creative and talented researchers in universities and research and development organizations.
According to HEC, in most cases these researchers needed modest financial support for research projects. In the absence of such support the researchers, particularly the young scientists, often leave Pakistan for better opportunities abroad, it added.
Therefore, to avoid such situations, HEC has initiated a Research Grant Programme. Under the programme, creative researchers are awarded research grants on merit for high-level and promising research projects to be carried out in Pakistan. — Sci-tech World Report
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