US govt’s initiatives to augment Pakistan’s ICT sector highlighted

KARACHI:Consul General JoAnne Wagner participated in the opening ceremony of the Momentum Conference 2019 and provided an overview of the U.S. Government’s key initiatives to augment Pakistan’s Information Communications Technology (ICT) sector with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Small and Medium Enterprise Activity (SMEA).

Momentum is one of the largest information technology focused conferences in Pakistan. Held in Karachi for the past two years, the conference brings together start-ups, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), as well as large enterprises with impactful businesses that are changing the ICT ecosystem in Pakistan. A central feature of the Conference is the participation of U.S.-based tech companies and startups, which include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Facebook, Microsoft, and Google. This is the second year in a row that USAID SMEA is participating in the Conference.

“USAID’s global approach on Science, Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (STIP), strategizes and instills themes of scientific discovery, technological readiness, impactful innovation, and mutually beneficial partnerships,” Consul General Joanne Wagner said. “In Pakistan, the U.S. Government supports use of science and technology to find innovative solutions to key economic and social challenges.”

USAID SMEA is supporting Pakistan in SME-led economic growth that will help create jobs, foster entrepreneurship and contribute to an increased GDP. As part of the U. S. Government’s long-term commitment to helping Pakistanis secure a more prosperous future by increasing household incomes and employment, nurturing competitive SMEs, expanding trade and investment, and creating more rewarding business opportunities, SMEA is working towards improving the enabling environment for private sector-led growth.

SMEA is also improving the financial and operational performance of Pakistani SMEs in economic sectors such as ICT. Through its Challenge Fund, SMEA is providing grant support for the creation and diffusion of innovative, sustainable, and scalable business solutions to the competitiveness challenges facing Pakistani SMEs.