Towards a global talent pool for Naya Pakistan

The PTI govt needs to start putting “their operations where their speeches are”

It is estimated that there are over eight million Pakistanis overseas, making us the sixth largest diaspora population in the world. There has been much talk by PM Imran Khan, his aides and other concerned citizens about tapping into the potential of this ‘Global Talent Pool’. We know there are thousands of doctors, engineers, techies, scientists, artists, environmentalists and others who are not only professionally capable but willing to invest time and money to put Naya Pakistan on the map. So what can be done to move the needle on this conceptually sound idea?

The solution is simple: “think big, start small”. The first step is to establish a categorisable and searchable database. Let’s call this the Global Talent Pool Database (GTP). Its advantage will be that it will operate on a “build it and they will come” approach and be populated by user generated content or “people profiles”. This will make it easy to execute.

All it takes is a well-made website, a data collection form and a robust database in the back-end. This wouldn’t be the first time a nation state has thought about investing in a diaspora database for local development. On May 1, 2018, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Dr Hubert Minnis, announced plans to build a detailed database for overseas Bahamians to aid in domestic development efforts.

With the right endorsements, marketing, and security features, one hopes this database will start filling up with entries soon.

Think about it, you’re an overseas Pakistani living in Germany. You hear about this website by the Pakistani government to simply know who you are and what you’re good at. It asks you basic biographical and professional information, your willingness to volunteer and maybe a CV to add some colour. Would you submit an entry? I would.

What’s the worst that can happen? Most of our profile details are already available on the internet. Except here, you are acknowledging that you are a concerned Pakistani citizen and would be willing to help if the right opportunity came along. The next time there is a major challenge in a ministry related to your expertise, the government will know who to call.

Granted that some profile verification will be needed to confirm credentials, but AI and Machine Learning should easily sift through fraudulent entries. Advanced computer scientists on the web have previously spoken about the potential of a GTP and should be able to help. Thus, a multi-faceted team from the public and private sector can spearhead this project.

Finally, let’s see who could use the GTP to get projects moving — this is none other than Digital Pakistan. On February 2017, Tania Aidrus, the face of Digital Pakistan, released a two-page backgrounder in which one “Key Area” to focus on was “building bridges and facilitating dialogue between citizens, government, local industry and international players”. The GTP Database is that bridge.

Large-scale initiatives like Digital Pakistan don’t just need techies and IT people. They need marketing experts, lawyers, financial gurus and maybe even sustainability experts to recommend low-carbon strategies. Digital Pakistan should not only pilot the platform to source talent, but possibly launch the website itself. This would be a low-risk, high visibility initiative, proving that talk is being followed by action.

The government needs to start putting “their operations where their speeches are”. Launching a GTP website and building a massive database of overseas Pakistanis who can help in achieving Naya Pakistan is not such a far-out idea. It is doable, and Digital Pakistan not only can help in its launch, but can also be its very first customer.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2020.

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