Huawei teams up with ITU, other partners ‘Gokina Smart Village’ initiative materialised

ISLAMABAD: Huawei's collaboration with the ITU and other partners has materialised in groundbreaking projects, one of which is the ‘Gokina Smart Village’ initiative in rural Pakistan, which has successfully brought network coverage and essential services to an area previously lacking connectivity and untouched by technology.

Huawei continues to spearhead efforts to bridge the digital divide through its commitment to the ITU's Partner2Connect Digital Coalition. The tech giant, having joined forces with the coalition in 2022, pledged to bring connectivity to over 120 million people in remote areas across 80 countries by 2025. Today, as we stand on the precipice of the "Thriving Together with Tech: Realizing Sustainable Development" event, Huawei is eager to share the strides made in achieving this ambitious goal.

The event, held on Tuesday in Dongguan, China, and featuring parallel sessions globally, serves as a platform to unveil the tangible progress in global connectivity initiatives. A significant focus is on the symbiotic relationship between technology, economic growth, and environmental sustainability.

Huawei's collaboration with the ITU and other partners has materialized in groundbreaking projects, one of which is the Gokina Smart Village initiative in rural Pakistan. This collaborative effort involving Huawei, ITU, Universal Service Fund (USF), Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), and UNDP has successfully brought network coverage and essential services to an area previously lacking connectivity and untouched by technology.

Hassan Nasir Jamy, federal secretary for the Ministry of IT Telecommunication in Pakistan expressed his appreciation and gratitude to all the partners for achieving a significant milestone in our journey towards a Digital Pakistan. It is indeed an honour to share the remarkable progress we have made in collaboration with Huawei and other esteemed partners. The Smart Village Pakistan Project is a beacon of hope, a symbol of progress, and a testament to the power of collaboration. Together, let us build a Digital Pakistan that leaves no one behind.

In education, we identified a critical need for science teachers, particularly in girls' schools. Through our collaboration with partners like Huawei and ITU, we have harnessed digital education providers, such as Tele-Taleem, to bridge this gap. For healthcare, the challenges were limited medical services, time-consuming access to health facilities, and a lack of emergency services. In response, our partnership with innovative e-health providers like SehatKahani is bringing essential healthcare services to the doorstep of these communities, he added.

The federal secretary added, “In alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and our Government's Digital Pakistan vision, we embark on a transformative initiative taken by Huawei – the Smart Village Pakistan Project. This initiative, born out of collaboration with the Universal Service Fund (USF), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and Huawei, symbolizes our commitment to bridging the digital divide and ensuring that no community is left behind in the digital era”.

Ethan Sun, CEO Huawei Technologies Pakistan stated that the Gokina Smart Village Project is not just about connectivity; it is about transforming lives. It aims to overcome challenges such as limited access to essential services.

Talking to the media, Deputy CEO and Director Subsidiary Board Huawei Pakistan Ahmed Bilal Masud highlighted the progress and achievements of Gokina, saying, “We recognized three areas to work on - which are education, health, and digital skills. Our collaboration with Tele-Taleem for e-education, SehatKahani for e-health, and the holistic approach towards digital skills and entrepreneurship is a strategic move to address the challenges faced by the local residents”.

Furthermore, the smart village project is in close proximity to the capital as Gokina Village is located in the mountains of Islamabad. This collaboration of smart village is skilled up with different communities of Pakistan. so, the impact of providing education, health and other essential services. They can contribute a lot towards the economic development. It has huge potential and are proud that we are collaborating and always coming up with ideas and this all we need the idea and to do something for these remote areas of Pakistan.

The Gokina Smart Village initiative is a shining example of collaborative development as experts from different industries have joined hands with the public sector to create a high-value, scalable model to bring opportunities to underserved and unconnected communities.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023