ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Google have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote national digital transformation and innovation, with the goal of expanding digital skills and boosting IT exports, the Prime Minister’s Office said Friday.
According to the statement, the agreement was signed during a reception hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for a Google delegation in Islamabad.
Under the MoU, Pakistan and Google will cooperate to expand the Google Career Certificates program, with Google targeting 150,000 certificates in Pakistan in 2026.
The two sides also agreed to expand Pakistani students’ access to Google’s artificial intelligence tools, with students set to receive free access for one year to advanced AI tools including Google AI Plus and Gemini.
Pakistan and Google will also cooperate on establishing an AI Center of Excellence in Islamabad, which will train young Pakistanis in skills aligned with global market requirements, the PM Office said.
The cooperation will extend to Pakistan’s mobile application and gaming industries, with the two sides seeking to improve their global competitiveness.
To help small and medium-sized businesses
The agreement also covers the promotion of digital payments and the expansion of digital commerce, as well as the use of AI to improve public service delivery and government operations, according to the statement.
AI-powered data analytics will be explored for the Federal Board of Revenue’s digitization project, while AI will also be used in agriculture for crop monitoring, forecasting and promoting sustainable farming practices.
The government and Google also agreed to use digital platforms to help Pakistani small and medium-sized businesses gain access to international markets, according to the statement.
A task force comprising government officials, Google and other relevant stakeholders will be established to prepare a roadmap for Pakistan’s IT exports and competitiveness, the PM Office said.
"The cooperation between the government of Pakistan and Google will lay the foundation for a new era of digital transformation and innovation in Pakistan," the statement said.