State Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Anusha Rehman inaugurated the National Incubation Centre (NIC) here at Lahore University
of Management Sciences (LUMS), on Saturday.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony and later talking
to the media, she said that after Islamabad, opening of
another NIC at LUMS Lahore was as per manifesto of the
Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) government, which envisages
`Digital Revolution’ in Pakistan.
Anusha Rehman said that National Incubation Centre
was an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to improve the
business objective and get themselves recognised in the global
economy. The collaboration among Minister of Information
Technology and Telecommunication, IGNITE, LUMS and other
consortiums would turn this into a reality, she added.
The state minister also appreciated the endeavours,
rendered by the IT Ministry partners, who made it (NIC)
possible. She hoped that all start-ups would join the NIC
to get their dreams come true.
Anusha Rehman said that the initiative of incubation centre
had been launched under the leadership of former prime minister
Nawaz Sharif with an objective to enable the young entrepreneurs
to run and improve their businesses with the help of information
technology.
The PML-N government, she said, had matchless public service
record, adding that the PML-N would again be elected to the
government in the next general election due to its massive
development and public welfare projects. She said that the
PML-N was very much united under the leadership of Muhammad
Nawaz Sharif.
The minister said that IT & Telecom Ministry was all
set to start computer training of 110,000 female students by
January 1, 2018 to enable them to earn livelihood at their
homes. Skill development in the field of information
technology was being carried out as per vision of the prime
minister and the Punjab chief minister, asserting that
introduction of 3G and 4G technology in Pakistan was a great
success of the incumbent government, while 5G technology would
be introduced in the country by year 2020.
Earlier, in his welcome address, LUMS Vice Chancellor
Dr Sohail H Naqvi termed the NIC a greater achievement. He
mentioned that the NIC was an improved structure of LUMS
Centre for Entrepreneurship (LCE), established in May 2014 to
explore companies having greater impact as well as improve and
increase their production capacity. Then LCE had incubated 78
institutions of which 17 had received around US$400,000
million funds and their worth was now US$20 million. Then
LCE also helped create 1,500 direct and 5,000 indirect
employment opportunities.
On this occasion, IGNITE CEO Yusuf Hussain spoke of
the NICs role in the knowledge economy of Pakistan and how
these would become breeding grounds for sustainable growth and
drive Pakistan’s economy forward with 4th Industrial wave
technologies.
Lahore NIC Director Faisal Jalil Sherjan said the
Centre would house the first-ever Makers Lab in Pakistan, a
modern facility equipped with the latest technologies and
smart equipment to bring ideas to life.
LUMS Prov VC Syed Babar Ali, Fatema Venture’s CEO Ali
Mukhtar, 47 Ventures Investment’s Country Director Khurram
Zaffar and others attended the ceremony.

Source: APP