Day: September 13, 2022

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National Incubation Centre Lahore at LUMS holds Investor Summit for its 9th Cohort of Entrepreneurs 

Lahore, September 13, 2022 (PPI-OT):The National Incubation Centre Lahore (NICL) at LUMS held its capstone event – the Investor Summit, which brought together its 9th Cohort of change-driven start-ups, pitching their ventures in Agritech, Cleantech, Edtech, Healthtech, and Fintech to seasoned investors and start-up founders in Pakistan.

The Investor Summit is the culmination of a 6-month long Foundation Programme where the necessary skills and knowledge are imparted to the incubated entrepreneurs to underpin their start-ups with real-world experience.

While addressing his experience of being part of the Investor Summit, Humayun Mazhar, Founder and CEO at CresVentures, said, “The passion, the energy, and the youth excites me, and whenever I come here at NICL, I feel younger. I love the energy of this place.” Referring to NICL’s start-ups, he added, “The start-ups graduating from here are adding value in terms of employment and revenue to the national exchequer and I’d like to see them grow in the times to come.”

“I’m thoroughly impressed by the quality and variety of founders that has only grown over the last 5 cohorts which is very refreshing. That goes to show the effort that NICL is putting in and making sure that the graduating start-ups are more mature when pitching their ideas,” said Hamza Iqbal, NICL Foundation Council Member and CEO at Healthwire, while sharing his thoughts on the work NICL is doing within the start-up ecosystem of Pakistan.

The participating start-ups at the Investor Summit were (in order of presentation) SAY Global, Roshni, Janwar Mandi, Gamma Green Recycle, Raftar Technologies, Wholly Ranch, Cashmail (Pvt.) Ltd., eBilty, Print Me All, Kitchen Collabs, Darzi Cut, Zarai Zambeel, and SAFE Space, pitching to spark investors’ interest. NICL was founded in 2018 by Ignite National Technology Fund (IGNITE) and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MOITT), and has since graduated 152 ventures, and housed 84 female entrepreneurs in verticals of interest.

For more information, contact:
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
D.H.A. Lahore Cantt. 54792
Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-35608000
Fax: +92-42-35725048
Website: www.lums.edu.pk

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LUMS Vice Chancellor Discusses Cross-cultural Collaborations in Interview with Express News 

Lahore, September 13, 2022 (PPI-OT):To mark International Literacy Day, Dr. Arshad Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, LUMS, in an interview with Express News, spoke about the collaboration with the University of Baltistan, Skardu (UoBS) in which 300 students came together for a summer of experiential learning in Skardu to learn with and from each other.

150 LUMS students were paired with 150 UoBS students under the ‘Learning Without Borders – The Baltistan Experience’ initiative, which featured five experiential learning courses: Introduction to Life Science, Entrepreneurship, E-commerce, Water Resource Management, and Green Energy. Each course was designed and taught together by faculty from both universities to provide students with an immersive experience so that they are better equipped to solve challenges and make an impact in the future.

Dr. Ahmad spoke about how the twinning programme was a chance to learn important lessons from an area where the literacy rate is astounding. “In Baltistan, if you ask someone who among their children do you want to admit in school, the answer is almost always females. As a result, almost 90% of the female population is literate. This is excellent news for all of us to learn about the importance that they give to education.”

Skardu became the epicentre for practical and applied learning for a whole month. “Experiential education is the word to talk about when it comes to hands on and practical learning. There is no substitute for learning in natural settings. Through this collaboration, we designed courses where 75% of the coursework would be done in the field; Deosai and Sadpara Lake became classrooms for our students,” he said.

Students and faculty were also exposed to how locals live on a day-to-day basis, he explained. From land-sliding to water shortages, they experienced real life in Skardu and learnt to adapt and come up with solutions. Conversations with UoBS also involved research regarding climate change, and Baltistan served as the perfect backdrop. Dr. Ahmad added, “Apart from the north and south pole, the Himalayan region is the third pole in the world. The glaciers are melting; they have a lot of focus on how to reverse that change and they are doing some wonderful studies. Our idea was to collect data and tell researchers about it.”

For more information, contact:
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
D.H.A. Lahore Cantt. 54792
Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-35608000
Fax: +92-42-35725048
Website: www.lums.edu.pk

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REDC holds programme on Public Sector Project and Procurement Management 

Lahore, September 13, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Rausing Executive Development Centre (REDC) at LUMS conducted a 5-day programme on Project and Procurement Management for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government officers. The programme was sponsored by International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and developed in collaboration with IWMI and USAID. As part of their learning initiative, the programme exposed participants to a spectrum of concepts, skills, and techniques essential for alleviating the role of procurement leaders to achieve desired results.

Directed by Shakeel Sadiq Jajja and joined in teaching by Zehra Waheed, the programme also provided a unique opportunity for participants to reflect on their sourcing strategy and understand key challenges in its implementation. “It brought us great exposure through an informative and interactive teaching style,” shared Rajab Ali, Executive Engineer, Irrigation Department KP.

Relevant areas related to negotiation in procurement, managing procurement risk, contract management, and laws and regulations governing in the context of public sector procurement were also addressed in detail. Syed Hammd Haider, Planning Officer, Irrigation Department KP, shared his positive experience and said, “Overall, it was very well organised and managed. A detailed programme to cover the topics with exceptional cross discussion. The more we engage, the better we will understand.”

For more information, contact:
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
D.H.A. Lahore Cantt. 54792
Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-35608000
Fax: +92-42-35725048
Website: www.lums.edu.pk

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Webb hopes to create a fitness culture amongst pathway programme participants 

Lahore, September 13, 2022 (PPI-OT):The first batch of the PCB Pathway Programme continues to train at full throttle at the National High Performance Centre in Lahore with players from across the country going through the hard yards under the supervision of foreign and local coaches. Over the weekend, renowned strength and conditioning coach Nick Webb who hails from New Zealand joined the programme as part of the Engro Cricket Coaching Project initiative.

Webb has established his credentials as one of the most prominent S and C coaches in world cricket with highly successful stints with New Zealand and Indian men’s teams.

Webb brought a change in the fitness culture and approach of both sides and his extensive knowledge of working with players from the subcontinent made him an attractive choice for the PCB when they began the hunt for an S and C coach to join the programme under the Engro Cricket Coaching Project banner.

With the players being in their formative years, Webb is keen on creating a world-class fitness culture for the participants as they build towards their professional careers at the senior level for Pakistan across the three cricket formats.

Webb has made some elaborate plans both for the youngsters training at the pathway programme as well as local S and C coaches who are working closely with him as part of the PCB’s plans of upskilling coaches.

Nick Webb: “I have been pleasantly surprised both by Lahore and the high performance centre. It is an absolute privilege to be here and work with these youngsters who are full of potential. The PCB Pathway Programme is a fantastic initiative, my aim would be to create awareness amongst the participants on fitness requirements which can help them in their senior careers.

“This initiative can feed the senior team for a long period, we have got some good consultants and organisers on-board who can help these youngsters develop high performance habits and culture.

“There is a two-pronged attack from my perspective, the first bit is to ensure these players are fit and strong in three years’ time to handle the demands of international and professional cricket. There is also a coach education plan from my end for local coaches to enhance their knowledge from a sports science perspective so that they can too contribute on a long-term basis.

“It is also about recognising the individual fitness requirements of players, how a batter is different to a bowler, how a tall player is different to one who is short, similarly how players from prominent cities compare to those hailing from smaller towns and rural areas.”

Besides Webb, power-hitting coach Julian Wood and bowling coach Gordon Parsons are delivering daily indoor and outdoor training sessions and lectures to the camp participants.

The two remaining foreign coaches – part of the Engro Cricket Coaching Project under the PCB Pathway Programme – Toby Radford and Julien Fountain have also joined the camp.

For more information, contact:
Media Manager,
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-5717231-4
Fax: +92-42-5711860
Website: www.pcb.com.pk

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Experts warn of widespread diseases in flood-affected areas

Karachi, September 13, 2022 (PPI-OT):As the number of cases of diarrhoea, dehydration, respiratory infections, malaria, dengue and skin problems increases at the healthcare camps in the flood-affected areas, experts have warned of widespread diseases if the living conditions and healthcare needs of the flood victims are not managed timely.

The new spell of rain may not only add misery to the flood victims but also interrupt ongoing healthcare services, said a statement by the Aga Khan University’s Flood Response Task Force led by Dr Adil Haider, Dean of AKU Medical College and Dr Shahid Shafi, Chief Executive Officer of the Aga Khan University Hospital.

Better living conditions, healthy food, clean drinking water, healthcare facilities and mosquito control should be the top priority in the relief work, said the statement. Another concern is the health of pregnant women. The United Nations Population Fund has estimated that over 650,000 pregnant women are in urgent need of maternal health services, whose lives can be improved by proving them with timely care, they stressed.

AKU’s healthcare camps and mobile units in the flood-affected areas have provided care to over 52,000 people in 18 districts of Sindh and Balochistan, including Matiari, Thatta, Dadu, Badin, Qambar Shahdadkot, Sanghar, Naushahro Feroze, Karachi, Lasbella, Qila Abdullah, Chaman and Jafferabad.

Out of 52,000 people who visited the camps, 15,000 were women, including 1,650 pregnant women, and 13,000 children under five. Over 3,700 children received routine vaccination. AKU task force is working with the federal and provincial governments, local authorities and partners to mobilise medical experts and resources from the University’s sites and hospitals.

It is also organising free capacity-building sessions for healthcare workers serving in the affected areas, which are attended by over 4,000 participants from around the country. The University is collecting funds to support the healthcare camps, including Rs 6 million donated by faculty, staff and students. AKU’s contribution is part of overall efforts by the Aga Khan Development Network in Pakistan.

For more information, contact:
Media Executive
Department of Public Affairs
Aga Khan University (AKU)
Stadium Road, Karachi
Tel: +92-21-34930051
Fax: +92-21-34934294, +92-21-34932095
Cell: +92-301-8258028
Email: rasool.sarang@aku.edu, public.affairs@aku.edu​
Website: www.aku.edu

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Glenn second among bowlers in MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings 

Dubai, September 13, 2022 (PPI-OT):England all-rounder Sarah Glenn has closed in on compatriot Sophie Ecclestone in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings after a fine show in the first match of their three-T20I series against India at Chester-le-Street on Saturday.

Glenn, whose haul of four for 23 helped her team to a nine-wicket victory and won her the Player of the Match award, is at a career-best-equalling second position and just 13 rating points adrift of left-arm spinner Ecclestone. Glenn has been ranked second on a few occasions in the past too, most recently last month, before she was overtaken by Katherine Brunt.

England batters Sophia Dunkley and Alice Capsey too have made notable gains after the first match of their series. Dunkley’s unbeaten 61 off 44 balls sees her move up 13 places to 44th position while Capsey’s brisk 32 not out off 20 deliveries has lifted her 12 places to 52nd. Freya Davis has gained nine places and is 59th among bowlers.

For India, seamer Renuka Singh (up five places to 13th) has moved up among bowlers while all-rounder Deepti Sharma (up three places to 33rd) and wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh (up four places to 75th) have advanced in the batters’ list.

Ireland and Scotland players too have something to cheer about ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 starting Sunday in Abu Dhabi, in which they are pooled together in Group A.

Saskia Horley of Scotland has moved up 16 places to 54th among batters after her knock of 44 in a losing cause in their second T20I while Ireland leg-spinner Cara Murray’s two-wicket haul has lifted her 14 places to 94th position.

Ireland’s Leah Paul (up three places to 68th), Arlene Kelly (up 16 places to 74th) and captain Laura Delany (up eight places to 75th) have moved up in the list of bowlers while all-rounder Orla Prendergast has advanced in all three lists.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com