GDG Live Pakistan hosted HERstory: Google IWD 2025, an online webinar that brought together industry leaders and government officials to discuss the digital empowerment of women in Pakistan. The event highlighted ongoing efforts to bridge the gender gap in technology and promote inclusive growth in the digital economy.

Google’s Vision for Women in Tech

In his keynote speech, Farhan Qureshi, Google Pakistan’s Country Director, reaffirmed Google’s commitment to enabling Pakistanis—especially women—on a global scale. “Google is working on initiatives to enable Pakistanis, especially women, on a global scale,” he stated. He outlined Google’s investments in digital literacy programs and collaborations with local partners to equip women with essential tech skills, ensuring they can thrive in an increasingly digital world.

Government’s Roadmap for Digital Inclusion

Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, underscored the government’s dedication to digital inclusion. She emphasized that artificial intelligence (AI) is not a threat to jobs but a tool to create an AI-enabled workforce across industries. “AI will not replace jobs; it will create AI-enabled people in all sectors,” she asserted.

Minister Khawaja detailed several key initiatives aimed at empowering women in tech, including:

• Digital Pakistan & ICT for Girls – Providing digital skills training for women.
• Smart Islamabad Project – Integrating smart technology for better accessibility.
• Digiskills Program – Offering free online courses to enhance digital literacy.
• Women-led Incubation Center – Supporting female entrepreneurs in tech and e-commerce.

She also highlighted that nearly 50% of Pakistani women now own a mobile device, showcasing a significant rise in digital adoption.

Industry Leaders Share Success Stories

The webinar featured inspiring contributions from successful women in tech, including:

• Tahreem Rasul – Senior Machine Learning Engineer.
• Kanwal Ahmed – YouTube creator and entrepreneur.
• Khadijah Shahzad – Creative freelancer.

Each speaker shared insights into their journey, emphasizing the importance of digital skills and mentorship in breaking barriers for women in the industry.

The Path Forward

The event concluded with a call for stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors to sustain and expand digital empowerment initiatives. The insights shared by Google and the government outlined a promising future where women play a central role in Pakistan’s digital economy, driving innovation and economic growth.

With continued investment in technology, education, and inclusive policies, Pakistan is making significant strides toward a more diverse and digitally empowered workforce.

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Google has announced the launch of its new AI Academy, designed to accelerate the growth of artificial intelligence startups in Pakistan and the broader Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The announcement was made through a press release on Monday.

New AI Academy to Drive Cross-Border Innovations

The AI Academy aims to foster new cross-border innovations and partnerships, promoting the exchange of ideas, expertise, and resources to expedite AI solution development. Google’s PR agency emphasized that this initiative will position the APAC region as a global hub for AI advancement.

Google for Startups Launches AI Academy Program

“Google for Startups has introduced a new program called AI Academy to help accelerate the growth of artificial intelligence startups in Pakistan and the APAC region,” the press release stated. Initially, the program will support over 20 startups focused on AI technologies.

Personalized Guidance and Substantial Cloud Credits for Participants

Participants in the AI Academy will receive individual guidance from Google’s global AI experts. Each startup will also be eligible for up to $350,000 in Google Cloud Credit to aid AI development and experimentation. The program includes opportunities for networking and collaboration with other AI startups across the region.

Fast-Tracking Startups to Market

The AI Academy is structured to fast-track startups to market, enabling them to develop proof of concept and product roadmaps, thereby swiftly validating their AI solutions. This accelerated process aims to expedite their path to success and demonstrate the tangible value of their innovations in the AI sector.

Significance for Pakistan’s AI Ecosystem

Google Pakistan Country Director, Farhan S. Qureshi, highlighted the importance of this initiative for the local market. “With Pakistan being an important market, we hope that local startup companies will take advantage of this opportunity to improve their AI solutions and further strengthen the AI ecosystem in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.

Application Deadline for Google AI Academy Program

Applications for the AI Academy program are open until August 16, providing a crucial opportunity for Pakistani startups to join a regional push towards advanced AI development.

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Google’s Summer of Code is best for killing time and getting money for that too. Moreover, you can work with leading names of open source organizations located all around the globe.

Apply for Google Summer of Code 2017 starting on 20 March

What is Google Summer of Code?

It is a program for the university students to gather at a single platform with the people of mutual interest who come from different parts of world. The program starts in April and ends in August.  GSoC provides students a platform to spend their summers coding free and open-source software.

Why Should I apply?

The most important thing is that you will represent Pakistan. The ratio of Pakistani students was very less and you can contribute to increase the ration and make the country and its people proud.

The reports say,

“Only 4 Pakistani candidates took part in last year’s Summer of Code. On the other hand, India leads the charts with a whopping 454 participants.”

How can I apply?

The authorities will welcome applications for Google SoC’17 from interested candidates from 20th March, 2017. Adding to it you can start searching the desired project of your interest and discuss it will the mentors even before applications are sent.

Eligibility:

Certain criterion of eligibility has been set for applicants to make the program efficient.

• Must be at least 18 years old at the time of registration.
• Must be enrolled in or accepted into an accredited institution including (but not necessarily limited to) colleges, universities, masters programs, PhD programs and undergraduate programs as of the GSoC Student Acceptance Date (May 4, 2017).
• Must be eligible to work in their country of residence during the duration of the program.

For more information and question click here.

The deadline for proposal submission is 3rd April, 2017. The Google Summer of Code results are expected to be most probably announced on the 4th of May. The working will start at end of May and end in August.

Girls and Guys! Don’t waste time thinking about participating or not or you will miss the opportunity. Go ahead and apply now. All the Best!

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Ann Lavin who is the Google Director of  Southeast Asia and Finance Minister of Pakistan Ishaq Dar met and at the meeting Ann Lavin suggested some ways in which Google could help to promote eCommerce Pakistan.

The two met in Islamabad on Thursday an Lavin had all the praise for Pakistan for its economic progress in the past years. She said that her company was willing to promote digitization of economy and IT development in Pakistan.

She also assured that Google is really willing to promote e-commerce in Pakistan and wants to make good investments for development.

Defence Minister Ishaq Dar also said on the occasion,

“The Government of Pakistan works on providing a level playing field to all the potential local and foreign investors.”

He also requested Ann Lavin to put forward all the plans and proposals so that they can be reviewed and the work could be started soon.

On the event Ishaq Dar also mentioned that Pakistan has a potential economy.

He said,

” Pakistan has been projected by many foreign institutions as the second best place for investment in the world. With Pakistan’s improved energy and security situation, macroeconomic stability and conducive environment for investment many new investors have also shown a keen interest to invest in IT sector of Pakistan.”

The event was graced by Google Representatives and also the Finance officials from Pakistan.

Google already is working in collaboration with Pakistan. The projects like Nest I/O, Startup Summit 2016 and many more were financed by Google.

Source: Express Tribune

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