April 2022

Tech Valley and DEMO empowered 3000 women of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through digital skills under KP Youth Employment Program While celebrating the success of empowering 3000 women of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on employable digital skills under Women Empowerment Through Digital Skills Program… While celebrating the success of empowering 3000 women of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on employable digital skills under Women Empowerment Through Digital Skills Program, a graduation ceremony was held at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IT Board, Peshawar, which was attended by hundreds of females from seven districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The event included employers and other notable dignitaries while the chief guest of this event was Honourable Minister for Science, Technology and IT, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Atif Khan Amid the COVID-19, KP Youth Employment Program, the flagship program of KP IT Board, started an initiative named “Women Empowerment through Digital Skills,” which aimed to ensure women’s inclusion in the digital economy. The project was supported by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IT Board, funded by Multi-Donor Trust Fund and The World Bank. Tech Valley, along with DEMO, being the advocate of women empowerment in the region and known for its capacity-building programs, progressed to implement this program in the seven districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The goal was to empower the 3000 women of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with skills – like graphic designing, social media marketing, WordPress design & development, blogging & content writing, and digital tools for productivity – and promote the financial independence of these women by providing them employment opportunities through digital jobs.  Apart from designing the content of these courses with the help of known industry experts of their respective fields, Tech Valley also reached out to its partner Google to design the curriculum of “Digital Tools for productivity”. After localizing the content provided by Google, the course was incorporated into the program that consisted of training on project management and collaboration skills using the latest available tools.  “The program was well-coordinated, the trainers and coordinators were very helpful. The content was structured to keep us engaged throughout the program. The skills I learned from the program have helped me promote my business online”, says one of the program’s participants.  The program was delivered through an online management system that consisted of video lessons, assignments, quizzes, and online training sessions that provided a platform for females to interact with the trainers and ask questions. The program also included mentorship sessions from human resource experts and career counselors and freelancing sessions that consisted of tips and techniques to land a gig on different freelancing platforms.  While appreciating the efforts of the team and the success of the program, Minister of Science, Technology and IT, Mr. Atif Khan, discussed the government’s plans, “We are planning to train 1 Lac people in multiple levels of digital skills. The government is willing to invest as much as it can in filling the gap in the IT industry by training its youth in IT skills.” Managing Director Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IT Board, Dr. Sahibzada Ali Mahmud, congratulated the program participants and said, “Our women have unlimited potential, and by learning these skills, they can do jobs at the convenience of their own home.” He also added that “The digital economy has a lot more to offer to the youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and we are working to bridge this gap by helping youth master different digital skills.” CEO Tech Valley, Umar Farooq, expressed gratitude to the KP IT Board and donors of the program, i.e., multi-donor trust fund and the world bank. He also stressed the importance of digital skills and nourishing the digital economy. He said, “Digital Skills are important for youth, but the dream of digital Pakistan cannot be fulfilled until the government provides prerequisites, i.e., tax subsidy on digital gadgets, providing subsidized internet packages for youth & establishing free internet zones.” Madiha Hamid, CEO DEMO added, “Women are the pillar for Economic growth for Pakistan. These Digital Skills training have enabled women to earn and become financially independent and contribute to their household income.We hope that more women step up and take the challenge and equip themselves with the skills of future” As the world is going digital, the youth must master in-demand digital skills to play a crucial role in uplifting the digital economy. Through programs like these, the government and the partners aim to enhance the skill set of youth to better equip them with the needs of the current and future digital job market.  

Federal Minister Asad Umar’s Visit to Peshawar. Tech Valley Pakistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority, Directorate of Archeology took Mr. Asad Umar Federal Minister, Planning, Development & Special Initiatives on a tour of the historic city of Peshawar. Tech Valley Pakistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority, Directorate of Archeology took Mr. Asad Umar Federal Minister, Planning, Development & Special Initiatives on a tour of the historic city of Peshawar. The Federal Minister was given a tour of Museums Peshawar, Gurgathari, Gorakhnath Temple, Heritage Trail, Sethi House, and other historical places. While visiting the Peshawar Museum, Asad Umar said, “I will ask PM Imran Khan to inaugurate the museum itself renovation of Peshawar. Efforts of Tourism and Archeology Department are commendable” He added that Peshawar is a unique city in terms of tourism. I will ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to inaugurate the Peshawar Museum himself after the renovation so that the historical museum can be unveiled all over the world. After the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Kamrat, the rush of tourists in Kamrat increased. Tourists must visit Peshawar to the historical places of Peshawar as well as the tourist places of #KhyberPakhtunkhwa. CEO Tech Valley Pakistan, Umar Farooq also accompanied the Federal Minister during this trip and discussed the tourism landscape of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and how these sites can be promoted in order to spur tours towards them. Federal Minister Asad Umar said that religious tourism could be promoted by attracting religious leaders to museums, Takht Bai, and other places. The history of this region is old and Peshawar has been a part of different religions. Tech Valley Pakistan was honored to organize this tour to the invaluable history of Peshwar for Mr. Asad Umar and look forward to playing its part in the promotion of these historical sites.

Digital Youth Summit, while conducting the panel for Digital Tourism, Tech Valley Pakistan CEO Umar Farooq More than 65 billion rupees of business activities were generated by the tourists in the northern areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province alone from May to July 2021. More than 65 billion rupees of business activities were generated by the tourists in the northern areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province alone from May to July 2021. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) stated that tourism may help to rebuild the world economy following the coronavirus. Pakistan is no exception, with measures being taken and initiatives that have been stalled getting restarted. That being said, the availability of the internet in tourism sites especially those located in the northern areas is still an issue. Tourists now being dependent on the internet, deem this service as a commodity while traveling. At Digital Youth Summit, while conducting the panel for Digital Tourism, Tech Valley Pakistan CEO Umar Farooq presented a “Three-Point” recommendation to the government in order to promote the tourism industry of #KhyberPakhtunkhwa. 1. Provide free internet access in different tourism sites as tourists need the facility to easily navigate through these regions and access tourism-related services via mobile phone easily. This will also help digital tourism businesses and platforms by having a medium to reach these tourists with their offerings. 2. Tourism startup accelerator programs should be initiated in northern areas to help revamp the tourism startups & businesses and upgrade their services as per the international tourism standards. 3. To encourage the establishment of tourism businesses, the government should provide incentives as well as diverse options for investments to startups so that they can upscale and expand their businesses while adding value to it. Although COVID-19 slowed down the tourism business, it is high time to revive the industry by addressing the shortcomings with the help of both the private and public sectors.