Tech Valley, in partnership with the Government of Balochistan, has concluded a five day initiative called the Digital Balochistan AI Launchpad, bringing together 35 students from across the province at FAST-NUCES, Islamabad Campus. The programme was carried out with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination, and the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) as strategic partners, with the aim of equipping students from Balochistan with practical exposure to artificial intelligence and digital skills.
The journey concluded with a graduation ceremony that reflected on everything the students learned, built, and experienced throughout the week. The ceremony opened with a recap of the first four days of the programme, after which students were invited to share their biggest takeaways, how they intend to apply their new skills going forward, and how they hope to create impact within their own communities once they return home. Later in the day, the students received their graduation certificates, marking the formal completion of five days of hands-on learning focused on artificial intelligence and digital growth.
The event continued with remarks from several senior figures involved in the initiative. Federal Minister of State for Education and Professional Training Wajiha Qamar addressed the cohort, alongside David Mayore, Acting Minister Counselor for Public Diplomacy at the United States of America; Jawad Ahmed, Director of the Science and Information Technology (S&IT) Department, Government of Balochistan; and Umer Farooq, Chief Executive Officer of Tech Valley. Other guests present also shared words of encouragement with the graduating students. The day closed with an open interaction session between Federal Minister of State Wajiha Qamar and the students, giving the cohort a chance to raise questions, discuss challenges they had faced, and talk through their future aspirations directly with the minister.
After five days, the participants left with more than certificates alone. Organisers said the students gained new technical skills, greater confidence in their abilities, and a clearer sense of how to convert what they learned into tangible impact for themselves and their home communities. While the Launchpad itself has come to a close, those involved in the initiative described it as the starting point of a longer effort to build digital and artificial intelligence capacity in Balochistan, one of the leading regions being targeted for province wide digital skills development in Pakistan.
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