The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has said that the youth of AJK and Pakistan have immense potential for entrepreneurship.
Incubation centres like the National Incubation Centre (NIC) are playing an important role in accelerating an entrepreneurial environment by bringing the academia and industries closer to start-ups, the AJK president further said while speaking to the top management of the National Incubation Centre during a visit to their Islamabad Office.
The president acknowledged the very conducive and enabling environment provided at NIC and also praised the leadership, who hold national and international exposure, for creating an inclusive eco-system.
He said, “Our youth must be encouraged to acquire the necessary skills to become successful entrepreneurs to create more jobs in the country for themselves and others instead of seeking jobs.”
Masood said, “In AJK, we are waking up to the opportunities being provided because of new technologies.” He said that the AJK public-sector universities are providing degrees in emerging technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, to name a few.
The AJK president said that a business incubation centre has been established in Mirpur with the help of the business and the diaspora community. He welcomed the inauguration of a new incubation centre in Mirpur by NIC and also urged them to plan another incubation centre in Kotli as the University of Kotli specialises in Information Technology. “In AJK we need new technologies and innovations in agriculture, waste management and tourism.
President Khan said, “We have many challenges: first, create literacy about new technologies and its implications; second is that we must transform these technologies into a tangible product. We need to understand how to create mass awareness and harness these technologies for the prosperity of Pakistan.”
Masood said, “Today we are in the era of new technology and we must realise that communication with the general public is very important so as to inspire and motivate students all over the country and help translate our efforts into results. We have a huge reservoir of young population which is an asset. We must mobilise them.”
