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Pakistani Women in South Punjab - Photo by Shuja Hakim UNDP Pakistan |
Digital Pakistan 2023: Technology Transforming Women's Lives in Rural Pakistan
By Riaz Haq
CA
Growing access to smartphones and Internet connectivity is transforming the lives of women in rural Pakistan . They are acquiring knowledge, accessing healthcare and finding economic opportunities.
A recent UNDP report titled "DigitAll: What Happens When Women of Pakistan Get Access to Digital and Tech Tools? A lot!" written by Javeria Masood describes the socioeconomic impact of technology in Pakistan in the following words:
"The world as we know it has been and is rapidly changing. Technology has proven to be one of the biggest enablers of change. There has been a significant emphasis on digital training, tech education, and freelancing in the last several years especially during the pandemic, through initiatives from the government, private and development sectors. Covid-19 acted as a big disrupter and accelerated the digital uptake many folds. In Pakistan, we saw the highest number of digital wallets, online services, internet-based services, and adaptability out of need and demand".
Digital Transformation
The report cites the example of Ayesha Abushakoor from Zawar Wala in South Punjab who is a Qur’an teacher. She is teaching students remotely in and outside Pakistan. She uses digital wallets to receive payments. The same report also cites the case of Samina, from Muzafargharh, who is getting training online to start a livestock business. Another woman Mujahida Perveen from UC Pega in Dera Ghazi Khan is managing her thyroid disease by watching YouTube videos.
Telehealth is helping more women access healthcare in remote areas of Pakistan. Startups like Sehat Kahani are employing women doctors who work from home to provide healthcare services. Sehat Kahani was founded by Dr Sara Khurram and Dr Iffat Zafar who raised seed funding of US$ 500,000 in 2018, followed by a pre-series of $1 million in March 2021.
Expansion of Digital Services
The year 2022 was a very rough year for Pakistan. The nation was hit by devastating floods that badly affected tens of millions of people. Macroeconomic indicators took a nosedive as political instability reached new heights. In the middle of such bad news, Pakistan saw installation of thousands of kilometers of new fiber optic cable, inauguration of a new high bandwidth PEACE submarine cable connecting Karachi with Africa and Europe, and millions of new broadband subscriptions. Broadband penetration among 140 million (59% of 236 million population) Pakistanis in the 15-64 years age group reached almost 90%. This new digital infrastructure helped grow technology adoption in the country.
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Internet and Mobile Phone Banking Growth in 2021-22 - Source State Bank of Pakistan |
Fintech
Mobile phone banking and internet banking grew by 141.1% to Rs 11.9 trillion while Internet banking jumped 81.1% to reach Rs10.2 trillion. E-commerce transactions also accelerated, witnessing similar trends as the volume grew by 107.4% to 45.5 million and the value by 74.9% to Rs106 billion, according to the State Bank of Pakistan .
(Riaz Haq is a Silicon Valley-based Pakistani-American analyst and writer. He blogs at www.riazhaq.com )
