By SPA
Islamabad : Pakistan is expected to acquire a significant share of American companies outsourcing agreements in information technology as a number of firms have shown interest in tapping the rich potential of Pakistan s IT industry services.
During a recent series of meetings with a visiting Pakistani delegation, several renowned companies in USA expressed their willingness to outsource various projects to Pakistani companies, a spokesman for Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) said.
He said that the Mayor of Houston, Bill While, announced 15th of January, 2008 as Pakistan Software Export Board Day .
This announcement speaks of the trust and confidence placed by the US business community in the Pakistan IT Industry, he added.
The spokesman hoped that outsourcing projects from US companies to Pakistan would increase job opportunities for local skilled professionals, boost IT exports and earn more foreign exchange.
The Pakistani delegation, led by PSEB Managing Director Yusuf Hussain, held detailed meetings and networking sessions with leading corporations, trade chambers, academia and IT companies.
These meetings were held in various American cities including Houston, Austin, Polo Alto and Chicago, reputed to be the hub of IT activities. These networking sessions have generated valuable business leads, which are likely to transform into successful business ventures, he said.
Hussain stated that the US companies that are considering outsourcing IT projects to Pakistan are Yahoo, JP Morgan, Motorola, Sun Microsystems, Continental Airlines, Chase Bank, Houston IT Department, Prime Communications, American International University Houston, Cyber Tex, Cadence and Goldman Sachs. Some American Universities and academic institutions have also shown interest in developing a student exchange program with Pakistan to open training centers in the country, which is an encouraging sign for the local IT Industry.
The visit of Pakistan IT delegation and the networking sessions in USA were arranged by PSEB in collaboration with Texas Trade Council (TTC), Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America (OPEN) and Embassy of Pakistan in the USA.
The purpose of this visit was to provide a platform to Pakistani IT companies to showcase their products and services in front of a focused audience.