Jazz CEO for addressing existing inclusion gaps with palpable measures

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has had digitalization, as well as digital and financial inclusion, as top national agendas for a long time, but now there is the need to address the existing inclusion gaps with palpable measures.

These thoughts were shared by Aamir Ibrahim, CEO Jazz, on the World Telecom and Information Society Day. “Being a digital operator, the first and foremost responsibility is to help ensure broadband access to every Pakistani, especially women,” he said.

Jazz reiterated commitment to improve the lives and livelihoods of people through tech, he added.

“At Jazz, we believe that digital inclusion has the potential to bridge many of the inequalities we see today as it provides access to health, financial, and other life-enhancing services which in turn can improve lives and livelihoods – and that’s the reason why we exist.”

He further highlighted that universal access to smartphones and mobile broadband is also fundamental to the financial inclusion of the Pakistani masses.

Ibrahim noted that while the gender gap had reduced substantially in the last few years, women were still less likely than men to use mobile broadband in Pakistan. “The same goes for women’s financial inclusion, another crucial area where inclusion gaps need to be addressed on priority,” he added.

“At Jazz, we have and continue to play a significant role to improve women’s digital and financial inclusion,” Aamir stated.

“We enhance digital literacy among girls, maximize female-led enterprises in the startup ecosystem, promote diversity and inclusion within the workplace, and enable women to access health, financial, and other life-enhancing services by providing them with affordable mobile broadband.”

On the financial inclusion front too, reducing gender disparity is our top priority, Aamir added. He highlighted how JazzCash aims to increase its female customer base to 50 per cent in the next few years.

“Making Pakistani women’s access easier to the formal financial system and providing them with the same opportunities as men is one of our top inclusion agendas,” he added. But for that too, said Aamir, women’s access to mobile phones and mobile internet needs to be improved as digital access is the basis of financial inclusion.

“The reason behind JazzCash’s success among female users is its convenience. They are less likely to visit banks in Pakistan, while JazzCash provides them with easy, quick, and secure digital financial services from the comfort of their homes,” he added.

Ibrahim also highlighted the challenges women face in accessing mobile internet in Pakistan – including affordability and cultural barriers – and the steps Jazz has taken to address them, such as promoting digital literacy among women in rural areas, using advertising platforms to showcase the potential of digital empowerment for women and collaboration with different partners to provide smartphones with easy installment plans.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023