Google Pakistan boosts women's role in digital economy

Google Pakistan celebrated International Women’s Day with “HERstory: Google IWD 2025”, a webinar highlighting women's contributions to the country’s digital sector. Attended by over 550 participants, the event focused on education, mentorship, and access to tech tools for women.

Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja emphasised women's growing role in AI, cybersecurity, and innovation, noting initiatives like the laptop scheme aimed at bridging the gender gap in technology.

Google Pakistan’s Country Director Farhan Qureshi highlighted the country’s expanding digital talent pool and the importance of equipping Pakistanis with skills for the global economy.

Google has launched several initiatives to strengthen digital skills among women:

• Google Career Certificates (GCC): 100,000+ scholarships awarded since 2022, nearly half to women.
• Google Developer Groups (GDGs): Over 1,300 women trained in AI, machine learning, and cloud technologies.
• YouTube Growth: Increasing support for female content creators, with 8,500+ channels crossing 100K subscribers.

A report suggests that narrowing Pakistan’s digital skills gap could add Rs2.8 trillion to the GDP by 2030. Google aims to continue supporting women in tech through skills training and mentorship programmes.