Huawei trains over 20,000 Pakistani youth in AI, cybersecurity and cloud computing

ISLAMABAD: Huawei, a leading Chinese multinational corporation and technology company, has trained more than 20,000 Pakistani youngsters in advanced information and communication technology (ICT) skills, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said on Sunday, amid Islamabad’s efforts to develop a more technologically skilled workforce.
These youngsters have been trained under an agreement signed between Pakistan and Huawei last year to train 300,000 Pakistani youth in ICT skills to match international standards.
The Chinese tech firm is providing training to Pakistani youth in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, cloud computing and other advanced technologies under the initiative.
“Huawei Technologies has trained 20,315 students so far. The program is upskilling students, trainers and those working in ICT technologies,” Sharif’s office said, following his meeting with a Huawei delegation in Lahore on Sunday.
“The master trainers trained by Huawei Technologies will provide training to youth at the local level.”
Pakistan views ICT as a driver of economic change and seeks to transform the sector into a cornerstone of its strategy for financial stability, courting foreign investment from countries like China and the Gulf states.
In Jan., the Pakistani IT ministry and Huawei launched a training portal to develop a more technologically skilled workforce in Pakistan, aimed at enabling the Pakistani youth to contribute to the country’s development.
During Sunday’s meeting, Sharif asked officials to ensure speedy implementation of IT training projects.
“The prime minister directed to make the ICT training portal accessible to maximum number of people, and expand the project to all provinces, including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan,” Sharif’s office said.