JEHAN ARA
The recently released UNDP Pakistan National Human Development Report 2020 on Inequality explores Pakistan’s digital divide, highlighting that although access to digital services is improving in Pakistan, only 45 percent of its people own mobile phones, and just 17 percent use the internet.
Growing up in an analogue world may seem impossible to many today, but that was the world I grew up in. It was from reading newspapers and books, watching television and going through volumes of Encyclopaedia Britannica that I got all my information.
But being born in a pre-internet age provided me the opportunity to witness and appreciate the dawn of the digital age. I remember when internet services were first introduced in Pakistan, I didn’t sleep for three whole days. A whole new world of knowledge suddenly opened up for me and for millions like me.
I have been part of the tech industry in Pakistan since the very beginning. In those early days we were excited at being able to use floppy disks to share information, to develop simple interactive applications and create catalogues and websites for customers. Today, we have start-ups using artificial intelligence (AI) to solve every problem you can possibly think of, from helping children with special needs learn new skills, to developing digital investment platforms, financial solutions, health and education solutions, and e-commerce portals. The transformation is amazing.
Unfortunately, even today, many are excluded from this digital revolution, especially in the developing world. Of the 185 million cellular subscribers only 46 percent of Pakistan’s population has access to 3G/4G services. Even fewer have the knowledge and skills needed to utilise technology to gain knowledge and use it for their uplift. In a world where technology dictates every aspect of our lives, whether it is education, careers, business opportunities or personal and professional growth, a digital divide indicates economic stagnation. It also contributes to inequality.
Given that the use of smartphones in Pakistan is increasing by the day and more people now have access to basic technology some argue that the digital divide is shrinking. However, this is an illusion. Access is certainly a large part of reducing this divide, but without an understanding of how to use information and communication technologies (ICT) for personal, professional, and societal development it actually only widens the gap, with benefits limited to a select segment of society.
The surge in availability and use of technology does not translate to the understanding, literacy level, and technical knowledge needed to use it for personal growth and development, and for the development of society. Most people in Pakistan don’t know how to use or create technology solutions to solve everyday problems. The top five apps used in the country are related to social networking and entertainment. It is in fact alarming that access to ICT is not translating into more people using it more extensively for education, commerce, healthcare, development and convenience. This must change if we are to scale economic growth.
There is a significant divide between those with access to technology and its benefits and those without. Larger number of citizens need to be able to use technology for learning and business opportunities, to transact and communicate, access government services and empower themselves and their communities.
Digital inclusion is a must if the country and its citizens are to achieve their true potential. A good start would be to bring down the cost of technology, create awareness of the benefits of using technology, start hands-on training programs for larger sections of the population and create incentives that are available through digital. First and foremost the government needs to digitize its offerings to the citizen. That is one way of drawing a larger segment of people to begin using digital.
— Jehan Ara is the founder & CEO of Katalyst Labs and the former president of P@SHA (Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT & ITES) and founder of The Nest I/O.