Huawei’s training Investment in Pakistan – A Boon or a Trap?

 

“Providing technical training to Pakistani youth in the field of information technology is the government’s top priority, we seek a strong and long-term partnership with Huawei.” said PM Shehbaz.

Huawei Technologies has already trained 20,315 students till date, and Pakistan has planned to continue prospering this relationship.

In collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), it has launched the following specialized courses in Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Big Data, and Cybersecurity across 15 leading Pakistani universities: 

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Machine learning, deep learning, AI-driven solutions.

  • Cloud Computing – Cloud infrastructure, deployment, and management.

  • Big Data – Data analytics, processing, and interpretation.

  • Cybersecurity – Network security, ethical hacking, and risk assessment.

This highlights the focused efforts and commitment toward enhancing and revitalizing the skill set within Pakistan's tech industry.

It is said to be a great step for the upgrade of our youth population and the unskilled labor. Around 64% of our population is under the age of 30 and majority of them are facing unemployment issues not to mention the huge gap between the demand and supply in the labor market. This program is apparently initiated to bridge this gap and reduce the surplus of labor in only a few industries. 

By integrating cutting-edge tech courses into universities the diversification of skills for each working age individual will increase. And hence this helps them specialize in various domains opening doors to more and more job opportunities which were inaccessible before, due to lack of skills. Especially in tech industry there is a huge gap between the skills required and the skills supplied to the job market. 

Companies in software development, cybersecurity, and data analytics are constantly on the lookout for highly skilled professionals, both locally and internationally. With this specialized training, Pakistani tech experts will be well-equipped to meet the stringent requirements of global tech industries. This will not only enhance their employability but also unlock remote work opportunities in leading tech hubs like Silicon Valley, allowing them to compete on a global scale and contribute to Pakistan’s growing digital economy.

Job upskilling in the local tech industry will enable Pakistan to increase their IT exports from the current amount of $3.223 billion. This expected boost in the exports can help us improve our image internationally. 

Apart from the expected increase in employment these courses can prove to be the essentials for the most-wanted boom in the tech startups of Pakistan. Entrepreneurs can now be self-sufficient in terms of the innovations in big data and AI in order to be able to compete globally. 

Moreover cybersecurity has always been questioned in Pakistan and this has made our IT/tech industry extremely vulnerable to cyber threats. But these trainings will be help us produce cybersecurity professionals who can help us strengthen our digital infrastructure. 

What no one is talking about are the downsides of such collaborations and initiatives for the economy of Pakistan in the coming years:

Huawei is acting smart here and our government is missing out on that. Huawei can now control Pakistan's skill upgradation and make it depend completely on its training courses and especially its cybersecurity infrastructure. Our over reliance on the product of Huawei can expose us our data privacy and national security to a third party. 

Since its independence, Pakistan has consistently relied on foreign forces and international organizations—whether for national defense, politics, or now even its tech workforce and cybersecurity infrastructure. Huawei’s initiative, while valuable, primarily focuses on transferring skills rather than establishing a sustainable local ecosystem for technological innovation in Pakistan. The underlying reality is clear: if Pakistan starts fostering homegrown innovation, the need for foreign third parties will diminish—a scenario that global tech giants may not necessarily favor. Instead of mere skill acquisition, Pakistan must push for long-term investments in R&D, local industry growth, and self-sufficiency in technology development. How long will Pakistan remain dependent on Huawei and other global tech giants? At what point do we shift from being mere consumers of foreign expertise to becoming innovators in our own right?

Maew!!

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