Ignite Fund Stalled for Over 14 Months

Ignite National Technology Fund under the Ministry of IT and Telecom remains stalled due to the prolonged absence of a permanent Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the failure to convene a board meeting. Sources told ProPakistani that Ignite has been without a permanent head for over 14 months, while its board has not met since September last year. The newly appointed Secretary of the Ministry of IT and Telecom, Zarrar Hasham Khan, who also serves as the board chairman, has yet to call a meeting. Khan, appointed in September 2024 as the first secretary from the private sector, has not taken steps to resume the board’s operations, causing severe delays in critical projects. As a result of the board’s inactivity, several projects worth billions of rupees have been put on hold. These projects were crucial for the country’s IT sector growth and directly linked to Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s ambitious target of achieving $25 billion in IT exports. The unapproved projects, despite having available funds, remain in limbo due to the lack of board approvals. The delays pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s IT export goals. Among the halted projects are the Ignite CODISKILLS initiative, the Center of Excellence in Gaming and Animation, the Ignite Virtual Production Studio, and the DigiSkills program. The CODISKILLS initiative aims to equip 10,000 young individuals with programming expertise, particularly in coding. Additionally, two Centers of Excellence in Gaming and Animation were planned for Karachi and Lahore to enhance Pakistan’s footprint in the global gaming and animation industry. The Ignite Virtual Production Studio also faced setbacks due to delays in importing necessary materials. Meanwhile, DigiSkills, a key online training program offering free soft skills education to youth, remains inoperative. The failure to convene the board has also led to delays in appointing a permanent CEO for Ignite. According to sources, interviews for the CEO position were conducted, and a shortlist of candidates was prepared. However, the final selection and appointment require board approval, which has not been possible due to the board’s inactivity. This prolonged leadership vacuum has contributed to operational inefficiencies and project stagnation within the organization. The Ministry of IT and Telecommunication (MoITT) had announced in September 2024 that the Human Resource Governance Committee (HRGC) had completed the screening process for the new CEO. Interviews were held in August 2024, and HRGC’s recommendations were to be presented at the next board meeting for finalization. However, with no board meeting held since last September, the process remains in limbo. The CEO position has been vacant since January 17, 2024, following the completion of Asim Shahryar Husain’s fixed-term contract. Despite the position being re-advertised, the recruitment process has yet to be finalized. In the absence of a permanent CEO, Adeel Aijaz Shaikh, GM (Corporate Affairs), has been holding the additional charge of CEO since January 18, 2024. However, his temporary role does not provide the authority required to push forward key projects.