MTI to advice on Pakistan’s accession to WTO Agreement

Monday, 5 April 2021 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

MTI Consulting CEO Hilmy Cader

MTI Consultant - Pakistan Naush Beg

MTI Projects Coordinator - South Asia Svanthi Jayawickrema

MTI Consulting has been retained to independently advice Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce on Pakistan’s accession to WTO’s Information Technology Agreement (ITA). The mandate to MTI calls for

an independent evaluation of the opportunities and threats of the ITA to Pakistan, with special attention to its contribution toward the nation’s ICT industry’s long-term objective of becoming a major ICT player among global value chains.

The project was initiated under the Pakistan—Regional Economic Integration Activity (PREIA). PREIA is a USAID-funded activity/project that intends to further the development of the country’s trade sector by improving Pakistan’s competitiveness in international markets. PREIA is implemented by the private development company, DAI, under one of their integrated solutions, i.e. ‘Economic Growth’. The ITA Information Technology Agreement, initially implemented in 1996, is the most significant tariff liberalisation arrangement negotiated in the WTO after its establishment in 1995. It has 82 signatories. ITA’s IT product list covers 97% of world trade in IT products. 2015 saw the expansion of the ITA. The agreement was expanded to include an additional list of 201 products.

MTI Consulting is an internationally-networked boutique management consultancy, enabling clients to ‘Analyse > Strategise > Realise’ effective outcomes. The practices cover strategy, operations and corporate finance. In the last 24 years, MTI has carried out 670 projects across 49 countries, covering both the public and private sector.