17 fellows complete training on digital skills

PESHAWAR: Seventeen fellows on Friday completed graduation in the Innovation Fellowship Programme initiated by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

The KP Government Innovation Fellowship Programme is a partnership between Code for Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB), and the World Bank. The six-month mentored fellowship programme was launched in 2014. The fellows develop digital tools and applications to strengthen government departments and improve service delivery by using the new and emerging tools and technologies.

Advisor to Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Science and Information Technology Ziaullah Bangash was the chief guest of the graduation ceremony. He distributed certificates among the fellows after successful completion of their fellowship. KPITB Director Asim Jamshed, representatives from partner departments, the World Bank, Cod for Pakistan, technologists and mentors attended the event.

The Fellowship programme currently wrapped up its fifth cycle, where 17 Fellows have worked with six KP government departments to help them improve internal development processes and innovate in citizen-facing public service delivery. The fellows developed innovative and valuable applications for provincial departments, including the KP Toilet Finder app for Watsan Cell, an Open Data Portal for Performance Management and Reforms Unit (PMRU), monitoring and reporting system for Chief Secretary Delivery Unit, online streaming and polling portal for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, augmented reality-based indoor navigation system for public hospitals and E-Registration Portal of private schools for Private Schools Regulatory Authority, online e-registration portal for Directorate of Industries and Commerce and e-governance initiatives of KPITB. The KP government’s Innovation Fellowship Programme was being run at the Durshal Incubation Lab, which aims to bring about technological developments in the province. Durshal provides a vital link between the local government departments, tech industry, IT entrepreneurs and investors to anchor KP’s digital transformation.