KPK Govt. Intends to Establish Purpose-built IT Parks

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in financial support of the federal government intends to establish purpose-built information technology (IT) parks aimed at mainstreaming ICT base entrepreneurship, creating job opportunities and to aid in the economy through ICT industry. According to documents available the KPK in collaboration with the federal government is planning to establish two IT parks in Peshawar and Abottabad.

KPK Govt. Intends to Establish Purpose-built IT Parks

Project consultancy would be financed by the provincial government while the construction would be financed by the federal government. After completion of consultancy assignment, construction of the Digital complex Peshawar will be carried out through PSDP 2019-20 with an allocation of Rs 2.262 billion.

The provincial government aims to accelerate the digital transformation of the province through four priority areas i.e. digital skills, digital governance, digital economy and digital access with the following vision as approved in the first-ever digital policy for the province.

The government intends a systematic digital transformation in the province by leading information and communication technologies for job creation, connectivity empowerment and inclusive economic growth.

The government intends to establish purpose-built IT parks in Peshawar and Abbottabad aimed at mainstreaming ICT based entrepreneurship in the province, create job opportunities for youth on the new developments in the ICT market and to aid in the economy of KP through ICT industry.

IT Park Peshawar will be a part of Digital Complex. The PC-II has been submitted to P&D Department for conducting master planning and detailed engineering design under ADP Scheme.

The purpose of the digital complex is to bring the IT industry together under one roof and support the IT business, act as a bridge between academia and industry, groom the skills of IT graduates and create job opportunities. The digital complex will be a state of the art multi-story building with an approximately total covered area of 300,000 square feet. The digital complex will have the provision to house a large Expo center/auditorium building code compliance to house level-3 data centre KPITB office, KP IT University campus, co-working spaces, incubation facilities and IT Park. The project will be executed in two phases.

The feasibility study of the IT Park Abbottabad is being conducted through consultant. Master plan has been finalized. Detailed engineering and architectural design is under way and will be completed by end December 2019. The park would provide state-of the art infrastructure for the development and facilitation of IT and IT enabled businesses with the purpose to create the required eco-system and will house KPITB Regional office, IT Companies and other ICT clusters like an expo centre, KP centre of entrepreneurship and data centre operators.