Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday formally inaugurated Google’s office in Islamabad, calling it a “major milestone” in the country’s digital transformation and its partnership with the global technology company.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, PM Shehbaz congratulated Google’s team and Pakistan’s technology community.
He said that the opening of the office marks a “great day” and an important step towards a long-term partnership.
PM Shehbaz said that Pakistan’s collaboration with Google would contribute to a field that is highly important in the modern era and help empower the country’s youth through modern tools, techniques and technology.
Welcoming the Google delegation led by its Vice President Wilson L White, the premier said the partnership between Pakistan and Google would flourish further and open new avenues of cooperation in the digital sector.
For his part, Google Vice President Wilson thanked the premier for hosting the company’s delegation. He said Google has been investing in Pakistan for more than a decade.
Google’s vice president said PM Shehbaz’s ambition to make Pakistan a $30bn IT export hub aligned closely with Google’s goals.
He said Google has contributed more than Rs3.9 trillion to economic activity for Pakistani businesses and households over the past ten years, supporting over 960,000 jobs.
Wilson said Google is committed to supporting Pakistan’s IT export ambitions through investment in Pakistani people, manufacturing and infrastructure for hardware exports, and local businesses.
He said digital transformation in Pakistan could only succeed if adequate investment was made in human resources.
Wilson said Google had already helped upskill more than one million Pakistanis through career certificates and by working with schools and teachers to prepare young people for the digital economy.
The Google vice president announced that the company would provide free one-year subscriptions to Google Gemini for all students in Pakistan.
He said the initiative would further support Pakistan’s youth in acquiring modern digital skills and benefiting from emerging technologies. –Agencies
