KS wants foreign investments, IT sector's role is important

SARAJevo, (Patria) - Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton Edin Forto and Minister of Economy of KS Adnan Delić held a thematic session today with representatives of the Bit Alliance, as well as other representatives of the IT industry from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The goal of the meeting was to improve the work of the IT sector, open as many quality jobs as possible, and increase the number of business entities operating in the Sarajevo Canton.

According to Prime Minister Forto, the KS Government will report quarterly on all its activities regarding the improvement and facilitation of IT companies' business operations. On the other hand, the IT sector will report to the Government on the progress of its initiatives, such as expanding educational capacities and strengthening the scientific research community, as well as the cooperation of IT companies with the University of Sarajevo.

"This is the fastest growing and best-paid industry in BiH. If we want Sarajevo Canton to become a place of high quality of life, the only way is to keep these companies here and help them develop further," said Prime Minister Forto.

Minister Delić emphasized that two-way communication with business entities from the KS area is of exceptional importance for creating a better business environment.

The KS Government is committed to developing a strategy for the development of strategic branches of the economy in KS, of which the IT industry is one of the most important, as well as attracting direct investments.

"We want to attract direct investments, and we believe that the IT industry plays a big role in this process. We also discussed public calls issued by the Ministry of Economy of KS. Out of approximately 260 companies operating in the KS area in the last two years, only 12 on average applied for public calls to improve IT entrepreneurship, which is a very small number, but a big problem. One of the main reasons is the problem of mistrust and bureaucracy, i.e., oversized and very often unnecessary administration and documentation required to apply for public calls, which we plan to change in the coming period," said Minister Delić.

What will happen in the coming period are working meetings, in order to improve the work of the IT sector and open the highest quality jobs, and increase the number of business entities operating in this field in the KS area.