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Punjab Information Technology Board(PITB) led by Chairman, PITB, Azfar Manzoor, and Code for Pakistan, led by Country Head, Samina Rizwan, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on December 22, 2021. The signing of the MOU occurred at the PITB office, Arfa Software Park, Lahore and underscores the organizations’ shared efforts to advance open, inclusive, and innovative public services, with an immediate focus to jointly work on projects related, but not limited to, Punjab government’s digital transformation and civic engagement within the province. The MOU will leverage each organization’s comparative advantage to support high-quality and sustainable outcomes in the country through digital innovation, with the goal to improve e-governance so that the citizens of Punjab have better access to basic social services such as health and education.
High on the agenda is for Code for Pakistan to provide support to PITB on improving the Master Data Management Framework (MDMF). In addition to this, some of the other activities planned include a) Leveraging a volunteer network to identify and provide services of subject matter experts who can advise PITB on matters of policy, strategy, or product development when required. b) Co-organising community engagement events within Punjab to raise awareness of PITB’s work and provide a platform for technology enthusiasts to provide solutions to civic problems. c)Exploring the opportunity to set up a Fellowship program primarily focused on user research, data science, and user experience to improve the existing or introduce new digital offerings of PITB. d) Conducting user research for solutions and apps developed by PITB.
“Technology enhances our government’s ability to more effectively reach our citizens, and digital innovation and adoption is absolutely essential for our economy to grow,” says Azfar Manzoor. “In order to achieve equitable and inclusive growth, we at PITB — and as representatives of our government — are deeply invested in finding new ways to serve the people, and for partnering with organizations that have a track record of improving governmental bodies through their work. We look forward to seeing all that can be achieved from this collaboration with Code for Pakistan.”
“This MoU lays down the framework for PITB and Code for Pakistan to engage in long-term collaboration to undertake projects of mutual interest, particularly those that provide visible, discernable value to the people of Punjab. We are honored and immensely excited about this opportunity to work with PITB’s excellent team,” says Samina Rizwan, Code for Pakistan’s Country Head.
Code for Pakistan is a non-profit working to bridge the gap in how the public sector uses technology to meet citizens’ needs. In addition to the work we do, we also mobilize a significant volunteer network of professionals to work on a variety of tech and digital initiatives geared towards improved government efficiency, increasing trust between citizens and government, and capacity building within government. We also work on tech projects geared towards positive civic and social impact, through collaborations with the government, NGOs, and other civil society organizations.
