LAHORE: Punjab is performing well in improving entrepreneurship through technology in Pakistan, says Chairperson/CEO of Sri Lankan Export Development Board (EDB) Ms Indira Malwatte here on Tuesday.

Addressing a meeting held at Arfa Tower during her visit to the Punjab Information Technology Board, she said PITB’s efforts to technologically empower Punjab were encouraging and there was a lot to learn from PITB’s culture of tech innovation.

She said the PITB steered by its Chairman Dr Umar Saif had done exemplary work in the field of education, health and law & order. She said Sri Lanka could benefit from the start-up model, Plan9 of PITB.

Earlier, Dr Saif gave a detailed presentation to her on Plan9 and other most flourishing ICT projects and explained how ICT ventures had viably improved methods of governance in Punjab.

Indira Malwatte also visited Plan9 and got acquainted with the work environment and facilities offered there.

Aspiring start-ups incubated at Plan9 briefed Indira Malwatte about their work and experience.

Earlier Dr Saif told Indira Malwatte that Plan9--the largest start-up incubator of Pakistan established four years ago-- had incubated 130 start-up companies so far. he said some of them had earned international rapport and secured more than $70 million from the USA, UK and Middle East countries.

These companies, he said, had become an icon for Pakistan around the world and remarkably improving foreign investment.

“We have flourished the start-up culture in the country and assisted more than 20 universities and colleges in having their own start-ups such as GIKI, IBA Karachi, Bahria University in Karachi & Lahore, NED University Karachi, FAST University, University of Lahore and NUML University, Islamabad etc.”

The PBIT chairman told that PlanX was working as an accelerator while TechHub Connect was a freelancer entrepreneurs programme started by PITB.

He also threw light on the other flagship programmes of PITB related to education, health, agriculture, livestock and governance.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2016