ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi called on young Pakistanis on Saturday to focus on information technologies for the nation’s development, as the country’s largest tech conference is underway in Islamabad.
The president was addressing participants of the Future Fest 2022 that kicked off in the Pakistani capital on Friday, bringing together the country’s top tech startups, entrepreneurs, investors, innovators and professionals.
“If IT is linked to the passion of the youth, I have no doubt that you’ll see Pakistan in the list of developed nations in your lifetime,” Dr. Alvi told the event’s participants, urging them to direct their potential to the IT and artificial intelligence sectors and training the youth in the fields that offer growth and progress.
The country is observing mushrooming growth of IT-related ventures.
Pakistani startups raised around $375 million in 2021, with funding for the outgoing year doubling the total investment received in the last six years.
But that potential still needs to be tapped.
Muhammad Salman Anjum, founder and chief executive officer at InvoiceMate, a company that introduced blockchain and artificial intelligence technologies for invoice management, told Arab News there is still the need to “impart professional skills to youth to get maximum of them.”
“E-commerce and digital economies are multibillion dollars industry, but Pakistani youth can tap them only if they're equipped with the relevant skills,” he added
More than 50,000 visitors are expected to attend the Future Fest, where 100 exhibitors are presenting their products and meeting with officials.
The event is sponsored by the leading international IT companies, including Binance, Epic Games and KuCoin.
“This is the age of technology and around 6 million Pakistanis are already dealing in crypto and other digital currencies,” KuCoin country marketing manager Farrukh Kiani told Arab News.
Conferences like Future Fest, he added, are meant to “help create awareness in general public about emerging technologies and address their concerns.”