In celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD), Google Pakistan hosted “HERstory: Google IWD 2025”, a webinar highlighting the achievements of women in Pakistan’s digital economy. The event was attended by Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunication,. Shaza Fatima Khawaja. Aligned with IWD’s 2025 theme, “Accelerate Action,” the discussion focused on empowering women in the digital economy through education, mentorship, and access to tech tools. The session also featured a panel of three inspiring women who have either benefitted from Google’s digital skilling initiatives and in turn actively driving programs to foster career advancement for Pakistani women, or using their platform to amplify female voices in the country. “Pakistan is not just bridging the gender gap in technology—we are redefining the future of women in the digital economy. Our young women have consistently excelled on merit, ranking among the top achievers in education and emerging as leaders in tech. Through initiatives like the laptop scheme, we have empowered thousands of female students with the tools they need to thrive in a digital world. From AI to cybersecurity, women are not just participants but pioneers, breaking barriers and driving the next wave of innovation. Our commitment is clear: no woman should be left behind in the tech revolution. Together, with industry leaders like Google, we are building a future where women don’t just participate in technology—they lead it,” said Shaza Fatima Khawaja. Farhan Qureshi, Google’s Country Director for Pakistan, added, ”At Google, we believe in the power of technology to transform lives, and we’re committed to building a “Future Forward Pakistan’ where everyone can reach their full potential in the digital economy. With Pakistan being the third-largest freelance economy in the world and a rapidly growing digital talent pool, we are encouraged by the enthusiasm in digital skills, especially through the active participation of women across our programs. Through initiatives like Digital Safar, Google Career Certificates, and our Google Developer Groups, we will continue to equip all Pakistanis with the skills, opportunities, and networks to succeed in the global economy. According to the “Agay Barho: Empowering Pakistan’s Digital Economy” report, narrowing the digital skills gap can add PKR 2.8 trillion to the country’s annual GDP in 2030. To drive this digital transformation, Google has launched initiatives focused on elevating Pakistani tech talent and developers with digital and AI skills, and getting the Pakistani workforce ready to seize new opportunities in the digital economy: Bridging the skills gap through Google Career Certificates (GCC) by offering industry-recognised training in fields such as cybersecurity, digital marketing, UI/UX, and data analytics. Since its launch in 2022, over 100,000 scholarships have been awarded with nearly 50% going to women. Last year, Google also introduced an AI Essentials skilling program to make the most out of AI within just a few hours, and launched Career Kamyabi, an initiative designed to close the employment gap for female GCC graduates, Elevating Pakistani tech talent and developers through Google Developer Groups. With 47 GDGs across Pakistan, Google is advancing the developer ecosystem through community-led learning, mentorship, and knowledge-sharing. There has been strong participation from female developers, with over 1,300 women enrolling in the #AISeekho program, gaining hands-on experience with AI, machine learning (ML), and cloud-based technologies. Supporting the growth of YouTube creators and the digital ecosystem. In Pakistan, there are now 600 creators with over 1 million subscribers and more than 8,500 creators with over 100,000 subscribers, including Pakistani female creators like Iqra Kanwal, and Kanwal Ahmed. Google remains committed to supporting creators on their economic opportunities: the number of YouTube channels making 10M PKR or more in their annual revenue is up over 25%, year over year. Building on this momentum, Google will continue to support women in tech through mentorship programs, skills training, and industry networking events.