ISLAMABAD:
According to Dr. Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, growth in digital financial services should be used to attract women into the formal economy.
She said the Ehsaas program was a key endeavor for women empowerment and digital inclusion, speaking at a Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) event on Tuesday.
PTA’s proactive and inclusive approach to internet connection was praised by Nishtar.
Dr Muhammad Sohail Rajput, the Federal Secretary for IT and Telecom, indicated that the government of Pakistan was taking extensive efforts to realize the goal of a “Digital Pakistan” for its population, with a particular focus on improving connection in remote regions.“Female participation in the field of information and communication technology (ICT) is increasing and additional initiatives are being introduced to enhance inclusion of women in the technology sector,” he said.
PTA Chairman Amir Azeem Bajwa said that the authority was committed to ensure wider access of women and improve gender inclusion in ICT segment of Pakistan.
He believes that real change will occur when all parties work together to close the digital gender gap.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) cooperated with telecom providers and other stakeholders on the occasion to eliminate the digital gender gap in Pakistan via programmes focused on accessibility, affordability, and digital skills.
Gender inclusion in the ICT area was emphasized, as was helping women’s digital empowerment in Pakistan through increased partnership with national and international firms.
Bajwa expressed gratitude to UNESCO and the GSMA for their support of the event.
The occasion was also attended by members of the PTA, CEOs of Jazz, Telenor, and PTCL, as well as executives from CMPak (Zong), Ufone, Special Communication Organization (SCO), and Huawei Pakistan.
