Gokina smart village: Rural revolution

Govt, Huawei partner up to address connectivity gap in education, healthcare

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistani government, in collaboration with Huawei, the ITU, and other partners, is expanding the Smart Village concept to address crucial online issues in different regions of the country, particularly in the realms of health and education.

The Gokina Smart Village project, a result of the joint efforts of Huawei, ITU, Universal Service Fund (USF), Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), and UNDP, has successfully brought connectivity and essential services to a previously underserved rural area.

The Federal Secretary for the Ministry of IT Telecommunication, Hassan Nasir Jamy expressed optimism during the Huawei 2023 Sustainability Forum, calling the Smart Village Pakistan Project a beacon of hope and progress. He emphasised the importance of collaboration and stated, “Together, let us build a Digital Pakistan that leaves no one behind.”

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Jamy conveyed appreciation to all partners, stating the intention to scale the project to other parts of the country. In education, the initiative addresses a critical need for science teachers, particularly in girls' schools, through collaboration with partners like Huawei and ITU.

For healthcare, the project tackles challenges such as limited medical services and time-consuming access by partnering with e-health providers like Sehat Kahani, bringing essential healthcare services directly to the communities.

Ethan Sun, CEO of Huawei Technologies Pakistan, highlighted the transformative nature of the Gokina Smart Village Project. It goes beyond connectivity, aiming to transform lives and overcome challenges like limited access to essential services.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2023.

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