A highly informative session on IT Governance Landscape was delivered by Mr. Waqar Naeem Qureshi, DG IT Solutions at PITB, on April 28, 2025, to participants of the 43^rd MCMC. Sponsored by Dr. Jawad Tariq Awan, the 1.5-hour lecture discussion comprehensively explained the evolving IT governance frameworks and highlighted best practices to optimize public sector IT projects.

Mr. Qureshi opened the session by presenting the background of digital government initiatives globally and locally. Through examples from South Korea, Singapore, and Pakistan, he traced the digital transformation journey across stages—embryonic, growth, interactive, and integrated e- government.

The speaker outlined global frameworks like COBIT and ITIL, elaborating on their domains—Plan & Organize, Acquire & Implement, Deliver & Support, and Monitor & Evaluate. He also discussed maturity models, highlighting how organizations evolve from reactive to optimized processes.

Mr. Qureshi addressed Pakistan’s public sector challenges, including capacity gaps, fiscal constraints, bureaucratic inertia, and the lack of IT-literacy among client departments. He praised initiatives like the Punjab Data Governance Project, stressing the importance of data sharing, legal frameworks, and privacy standards for smarter governance.

The lecture concluded with strong recommendations for capacity-building, political commitment, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and realistic timelines. The session concluded with a standing ovation to the guest speakers by the participants and faculty.