ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for IT & Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on Saturday that Pakistan was not just bridging the gender gap in technology but also redefining the future of women in digital economy.

Addressing a webinar, “HERstory: Google IWD 2025”, hosted by Google Pakistan to celebrate International Women’s Day, the minister said young women have consistently excelled on merit, ranking among the top achievers in education and emerging as leaders in technology.

The event featured a panel of three women who benefited from Google’s digital skilling initiatives and then launched programmes to pass on their skills to other women or use their platform to amplify female voices in the country.

Aligned with Women’s Day’s theme “Accelerate Action”, the webinar focused on empowering women in the digital economy through education, mentorship, and access to tech tools.

Google webinar highlights women’s contribution in field of technology

“Our commitment is clear — no woman should be left behind in the tech revolution. Together with industry leaders like Google, we are building a future where women do not just participate in technology but also lead it,” Ms Khawaja said.

Farhan Qureshi, Google’s Country Director for Pakistan, said the company believed in the power of technology to transform lives and was committed to building a “future forward Pakistan” where everyone can reach their full potential in the digital economy.

Pakistan is the third-largest freelance economy in the world and has a rapidly growing digital talent pool.

“We will continue to equip all Pakistanis with skills, opportunities and networks to succeed in a global economy with initiatives like Digital Safar, Google Career Certificates and our Google Developer Groups.

“To drive this digital transformation, Google has launched initiatives focused on elevating Pakistani tech talent and developers with digital and AI skills, and getting the Pakistani workforce ready to seize new opportunities in the digital economy,” Farhan Qureshi said.

Google Career Certificates (GCC) offers industry-recognised training in fields like cyber security, digital marketing and data analytics. Since its launch in 2022, over 100,000 scholarships have been awarded — nearly 50 per cent of them going to women.

Google introduced an AI Essentials skilling programme last year to make the most out of artificial intelligence within just a few hours. It also launched Career Kamyabi, an initiative to close the employment gap for female GCC graduates.

Thai initiative

In collaboration with the United Nations and Depilex, the Thai embassy in Islamabad launched a scheme on Saturday to equip women in Sialkot with entrepreneurship skills. The initiative to advance women’s entrepreneurship aims to “enhance their skills, create new business opportunities, and promote financial sustainability for women-led enterprises in the region”.

Women entrepreneurs would be trained by practices prevalent in Thailand’s beauty industry.

Sialkot was selected as the pilot location due to the presence and outreach of both UN Women and the Depilex Training Institute, ensuring effective implementation and meaningful impact.

Speaking about the scheme, Rongvudhi Virabutr, Thailand’s ambassador to Pakistan, said the Thai government believes in women’s rights and recognises that economic empowerment is crucial for promoting gender equality. “By equipping women with professional skills in the beauty sector, we aim to foster their self-confidence and independence through the ability to earn their income,” the Thai envoy added.

He said this beauty industry initiative perfectly aligns with a commitment to women’s empowerment.

Jamshed Kazi, the country representative of UN Women Pakistan, and Masarrat Misbah, the founder of Depilex Clinics & Institute Pakistan, also addressed the event. They praised Depilex for promoting women’s empowerment through skill-building in the cosmetic industry.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2025