On Tuesday, Google inaugurated its first local office in Pakistan, aiming to enhance its presence in the country as Islamabad strives to expedite digital transformation and reach its goal of boosting annual information technology exports to $30 billion.
This initiative coincides with Pakistan’s intensified efforts to grow its digital economy, with the government emphasizing technology-driven development, the enhancement of digital infrastructure, and a more significant role for the private sector in increasing exports.
Islamabad is targeting an ambitious $30 billion in annual exports for the information technology (IT) sector, aiming to elevate IT and IT-enabled services exports through investments in startups, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, digital skills training, and improved connectivity.
A nine-member delegation from Google, led by Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy Wilson White, met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad prior to the office’s inauguration. The delegation was joined by US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker.
“Google has been investing in and is committed to Pakistan for over a decade, and reaching this milestone of opening a local office is a significant moment. Honorable Prime Minister, your vision of transforming Pakistan into a $30 billion IT export hub aligns perfectly with our objectives at Google,” White stated during the inauguration ceremony.
“In the last 10 years, we have generated over Rs3.9 trillion in economic activity for local businesses and households in Pakistan, creating more than 960,000 jobs, and this is merely the beginning,” he added.
“We are dedicated to supporting your $30 billion IT export goal in three key ways: by investing in the Pakistani workforce, by enhancing the manufacturing and infrastructure related to hardware exports, and by supporting local businesses.”
Sharif expressed his approval of Google’s decision to establish an office in Pakistan, emphasizing that this move would enhance the partnership between the South Asian nation and the global IT leader.
“Today marks a significant milestone in our collaboration. I believe this is just the beginning of a long journey towards making contributions in a highly appealing sector,” he stated. “We aim to empower our youth with these exceptional modern tools, techniques, and technologies.”
During his earlier meeting with Google representatives, Sharif acknowledged the company’s role in promoting Pakistan’s digital economy and praised its initiatives that have helped thousands of young Pakistanis find meaningful employment.
“With Google now having a local presence, we can further expand high-impact programs,” Sharif was reported as saying by his office.