Pakistan is committed to work for affordable internet, universal and meaningful connectivity and close global and regional cooperation, said Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque.
He was addressing the Ministerial Rountable Conference (ITUPP 2022) in Bucharest, Romania on Sunday.
The minister said the government of Pakistan through its Universal Service Fund initiative is running diverse telecom infrastructure and services programs that are playing a pivotal role in providing high-speed Internet to unserved, underserved & hardest-to-connect communities.
The subsidy driven programs are accelerating digital transformation and are empowering marginal communities to ease into digital ecosystem, with special emphasis on gender inclusivity, he added. During last four years we have contracted 79 new projects worth over 266 Million USD to provide coverage to 28 million people, he added.
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He said the government of Pakistan also intends to provide not only a conducive environment but to drive both the demand and supply sides of the ecosystem, hence creating an image of a globally competitive and prosperous country that provides a high quality of life for all its citizens.
As part of our digital transformation journey, the government is targeting an ambitious slogan “Smartphone for All”. It is pursuing a multipronged implementation strategy.
This will range from nascent policy interventions for creating a harmonized regulatory environment to digital awareness and skills development programs for harnessing a culture of indigenous research and innovation, he added.
Moreover, for augmented, seamless and transparent delivery of government to government/business/citizen services, we are implementing a comprehensive smart government ecosystem, which is helping us to consolidate our resources and efforts for achieving the public service delivery, efficiently and effectively, Syed Amin Ul Haque said.
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The Federal Minister for IT said the government of Pakistan has a strong vision to empower talented youth of Pakistan by providing opportunities where they can embark on entrepreneurship as a career.
For this purpose, Government is providing an enabling environment to talented youth by establishing tech-based National Incubation Centers (NIC), he said.
During last year, Pakistani startup space caught the global attention of renowned investors & VC firms and attracted record highest ever investments with 275 per cent increase, he said.
About recent floods in Pakistan and climate changes, the Federal Minister for IT said despite being lowest on global carbon emission ranking, Pakistan is one of the largest affectees of climate changes in the world. Recent floods in the country have been devastating and the havoc left behind is out of realm of imagination, he added.
