Pakistan, Google sign MoU to promote digital economy, AI

Secretary Ministry of Information Technology Zarar Hashim Khan and Google's Senior Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Southeast Asia, David Weller, signed the MoU at a ceremony held in Islamabad today.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, US Chargé d'Affaires, Natalie Baker and members of the Federal Cabinet witnessed the signing ceremony.

The signing of the MoU is a significant milestone for establishing Google office in Pakistan. The cooperation between the government of Pakistan and Google will lay the foundation for a new era of digital transformation and innovation in Pakistan.

The MoU aims to strengthen cooperation in Pakistan on digital skills, IT exports and innovation.

Under the MoU, Pakistan and Google have also agreed to expand the Google Career Certificates programme to promote digital skills, setting a target by the Google for issuing one hundred fifty thousand career certificates in the country during the current year.

Pakistan and Google have further agreed to expand Pakistani students' access to advanced AI tools, paving the way for Pakistani students' access to Google's advanced artificial intelligence tools, including Google AI Plus and Gemini free of cost.

The two sides also agreed to cooperate on establishing an AI centre of excellence in Islamabad, adding that the centre would train Pakistani youth and human resources according to the requirements of the global market.

Pakistan and Google also agreed to cooperate in enhancing the global competitiveness of Pakistan's mobile applications and gaming industry, promote digital payments system and expand the scope of digital commerce.

Pakistan and Google would cooperate in using AI to improve public service delivery and make government affairs more efficient.

Under the MoU, AI-powered data analytics will be used in the Federal Board of Revenue's digitization programme.

The two sides also agreed to use AI in agriculture for crop monitoring, forecasting and sustainable farming practices, while digital platforms would be leveraged to help small and medium-sized enterprises gain access to global markets.

Under the MoU, a task force comprising the government, Google and relevant stakeholders would be established to prepare a roadmap for Pakistan's IT exports and competitiveness. This task force will identify barriers to IT exports and opportunities for growth.,

The two sides also agreed to expand scope of opportunities for young people in digital skills, startups and the technology sector through greater cooperation. This cooperation is a significant milestone towards Prime Minister's vision of increasing Pakistan's IT exports and digital economy to thirty billion dollars by the year 2030.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed the MOU as a stepping stone towards a long journey of contributing towards a field that is very important.

He expressed the commitment to empower Pakistani youth through these modern tools, techniques and technology. He highlighted that Pakistan is going through a major digital transformation in many areas, including governance. He said Pakistan has a youth bulge that can really turn around country's fortunes.

Minister for IT and Telecommunications Shaza Fatima Khawaja expressed the resolve to continue to advance Pakistan's digital transformation agenda and position the nation as a competitive player in the global digital economy.

Google Cluster Director for Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand Farhan Qureshi said this collaboration marks a major step forward in unlocking the nation's digital potential and empowering its next generation of talent.

He further said by expanding access to critical skills, cutting-edge AI tools, and key sector innovations, Google is proud to support Pakistan's journey toward a 30-billion-dollar digital economy.