SAP MD Urges Govt to Address LCs Issue

Managing Director German tech firm SAP Saquib Ahmad has demanded the government to immediately address LCs issue that has badly affected their business in Pakistan.

 Saquib Ahmad, Managing Director, SAP Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan, interacted with the media here.

 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.

On a question regarding ban on opening of Letter of Credits (LCs) for the imports, Saquib Ahmad termed the government’s ban on LCs, a biggest issue for SAP and said that it is affecting SAP’s growth. 

He said that due to the economic and financial crisis, the companies working in the private sector are facing difficulties.

Saquib Ahmad said that everyone is waiting for the positive news from the IMF. He hoped that the uncertainty would soon vanish and country would be on path of stability. 

Saquib Ahmad was critical of government’s recent decision to curtail internet services in the country amid political disruptions, by saying, “we are here talking about digital transformation and just recently, internet services were limited, downgraded. How come Pakistan’s IT sector will fulfil its international commitments if such unscheduled disruptions occur without any substantial reasoning?”

Highlighting SAP’s recent interventions through digitally transforming the Micro Payment Gateway at the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenue (AGPR), Saquib Ahmad said that the AGPR is one of the oldest and largest partners of SAP in Pakistan.

Their mission is to ensure optimum inclusivity through digitization. SAP has now facilitated a unified platform for the financial transactions of AGPR through Micro Payment Gateway.

With this system, AGPR can now operate hassle-free and seamless payment procedures for pensioners, government vendors and contractors.

Saquib Ahmad said that the collaboration with SAP enables the AGPR office to be tech-effective and time efficient.

The integration with the Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS), the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Pakistan Post, and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), helps create a unified system for all financial transactions, which ensures accurate reporting of data for AGPR. 

AGPR office is now fully automated and integrated with the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) Micro Payment Gateway, RAAST. This enables quick and smooth disbursements of payments to vendors, contractors and pensioners.

Technological advancement through SAP software has enabled AGPR offices to automate pension disbursements to 1.2 million pensioners. This was possible after streamlining the verification through National Database and Registration Authority’s (NADRA) VERISYS system. 

While answering questions about transforming Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs), Saquib Ahmad 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 relying on SAP customized solutions in improving efficacy and efficiency of service delivery for the masses.

He mentioned that the Pakistan Railways is transforming through automation, digitalization and the railways operations and profitability has improved with the introduction of the technology. SAP to establish Software Development Center in Pakistan

He also highlighted the Ministry of Finance and Revenue’s budget making exercise and disbursements to various ministries and departments is handled on SAP platforms. 

Saquib Ahmad said that AGPR is end-to-end seamlessly architected for an exact reconciliation of Government expenditures, remittances, and reimbursements.

He contemplated future plans of AGPR, and said that the organization has targeted the implementation of a Treasury Single Account and Cash Management & Forecasting.

The aim is to further strengthen AGPR for fraud detection and automation of debt assessment. The data centers spread over 4 provinces would also be moved to Islamabad with Central Data Centers, and cloud integration. 

In response to a question, Saquib Ahmad 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, in which Higher Education Commission and Universities of Pakistan have been taken on board. Beneficiaries of this program gets hands-on trainings and they easily get employments in the world-renowned organizations.

Saquib Ahmad 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 get trained in the United States.