Daily Times

Saquib Ahmad, Managing Director, SAP Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan, interacted with the media at a local hotel in Islamabad today. The media meetup was to highlight the collaborative efforts of SAP and Government of Pakistan in transforming public sector enterprises and departments for an effective digital transformation that enables efficient service delivery for the masses. Saquib was accompanied by Haroon Khan, Director Public Sector, SAP Pakistan and Fahad Zahid, Director, Large Enterprise, SAP Pakistan. Saquib highlighted that the collaboration with SAP has made AGPR office tech-effective and time-efficient. This system also extends to the SBP’s Micro Payment Gateway, RAAST, enabling unified disbursements of payments to vendors, contractors, and pensioners. Leveraging SAP software, the AGPR office has fully automated and integrated processes, allowing for automated pension disbursements to 1.2 million pensioners. He added that all these efforts are in line with SAP’s vision to help the world run better and improve people’s lives.

While answering questions about transforming Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs), Saquib informed the media that the Ministry of Finance & Revenue, all leading Power Distribution Companies (DISCOs), Pakistan Railways, Higher Education Commission (HEC) and many other organizations are relying on SAP solutions in improving efficacy and efficiency of service delivery for the masses. He mentioned that the Pakistan Railways is transforming through automation, digitalization with the introduction of the technology. He appreciated Pakistan Railways management in efficiently implementing the solution.

He emphasized the valuable contribution of SAP in assisting the Ministry of Finance and Revenue in their budget making process and the disbursement of funds to different ministries and departments. SAP has established trust among its customers through its role in facilitating these important financial operations on its platforms.

On a question regarding ban on opening of Letter of Credits (LCs) for the imports, Saquib said the government’s ban on LCs is affecting SAP’s growth. He added that due to the economic and financial crisis, the companies working in the private sector are facing difficulties. Saquib said that everyone is waiting for the positive news from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and hoped that the uncertainty would soon vanish, and the country would soon reach economic stability.

Saquib Ahmad also emphasized on the need for stable internet connectivity to ensure progress: “We are discussing digital transformation and just recently, internet services were limited and downgraded. How will Pakistan’s IT sector fulfil its international commitments if such unscheduled disruptions occur without any substantial reasoning?” He added that in order to develop IT infrastructure and to achieve development, focusing on digitization of the economy is the only way forward.

In response to another question, Saquib said that SAP Pakistan is working on a project to provide free training to students and professionals in the country. In this regard, training is being provided to young students and professionals through the Young Professionals Program (YPP), through the partners of SAP. Beneficiaries of this program get hands-on trainings and they easily get employment in world-renowned organizations. He said that in the same way, the Academy Graduate Program (AGP) is SAP’s flagship program, under which forty graduates from Pakistan’s top universities are selected and sent to Silicon Valley in the United States, for training, which is a great achievement for Pakistani talent to be trained in the US.

SAP is also supporting private sector customers including Engro Corporation, Imtiaz Store, Ghulam Farooq Group, National Foods, Fauji Fertilizers, Shan Foods, Packages and many others in their digital transformation journey. SAP has a strong footprint in Oil and Gas sector in Pakistan, and various organizations including PARCO, Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) and Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) trust SAP solutions for digital transformation.