Global tech giant Google on Thursday launched an initiative to produce half a million Chromebooks in Pakistan, marking the occasion by presenting the first device to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at a ceremony held in Islamabad, state-run APP reported.
President of Google Asia Pacific (APAC) Scott Beaumont presented a locally manufactured Chromebook to the prime minister.
Addressing the ceremony, the prime minister appreciated the contribution of Google on a global level and in Pakistan as well.
He believed that the young generation of the country was capable in the field of Information Technology and could play a key role in the economic development of Pakistan.
He said the federal and provincial governments should utilise all possible resources to ensure their education and empowerment.
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The prime minister informed that the government had set a target of IT exports worth USD25 billion in the next five years that was quite achievable.
He asked the IT experts and entrepreneurs to present a plan to help the government achieve the target besides promoting Small and Medium Enterprises and freelancers.
PM Shehbaz Sharif also resolved to make the country’s governance system paperless and digitized to get rid of massive corruption in the best interest of people of Pakistan.
He said the government had hired a new Secretary for the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication transparently.
Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Google was playing an important role in the digitisation of Pakistan under the vision of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Regional Director of Google for Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Farhan S. Qureshi said focusing on technology would help increase economic activities in the country. He highlighted that there were huge opportunities for freelancers in Pakistan to move forward in various fields of technology.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal were also present on the occasion.
The National Radio & Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC), Allied, an Australian-based manufacturer of Chromebooks, Gaming PCs, and Tech Valley had launched a joint venture to establish a Google Chromebook assembly line in Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
This venture aims to provide equitable access to education for all, following the National Education Emergency declared for out-of-school children by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
The Letter of Understanding (LoU) expressing their shared intention to establish the joint venture was signed in the presence of the Federal Minister of Education and Professional Training, Pakistan and representatives from Google for Education.
Federal Minister of Federal Education and Professional Training, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, expressed strong support for the initiative.
“Through this partnership, we can create Chromebooks customised for our education budget, empowering our youth with this transformative technology. I am confident that this partnership will not only equip our schools with affordable Chromebooks but will also unlock unimaginable scale, and the government is here to support,” he added.