Peshawar: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB) on Thursday opened the city’s first-ever government-owned Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) facility, a news source reported. This initiative is geared towards providing relief to the local BPO sector.
KPITB officials revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected businesses — leading to the BPO sector facing many difficulties. In the light of this situation, the provincial government decided to announce a special incentive package for the BPO service providers, they added.
The launch of the BPO facility in Peshawar is part of this incentive package. According to the details revealed, the KPITB launched the facility with financial and technical support from the World Bank (WB) and the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) under the ‘Digital Jobs in KP’ project.
KPITB has named the facility ‘Workaround’. It is expected to attract existing and prospective BP service providers and offer them opportunities for expanding business activities without investing capital in infrastructure and allied amenities. Sources revealed that the BP facility has the capacity of accommodating 350 workers at a time.
Digital Jobs in KP Communication Manager stated that the provincial government waived off the monthly occupancy charges worth USD 55 per seat for the existing BPO companies for a three-month period. He added that new companies would not have to pay the upfront charges for occupancy.
Official sources revealed that the BPO companies using the facility would only have to pay the electricity and operational charges, while the facility would offer 24/7 management support as well. The facility comprises conference rooms, training halls, a cafeteria, female common room, and access for the disabled.
The KP government has expressed its commitment to establishing more BPO-ready facilities in the province in the future.
