ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is working on $50 million-worth projects in the field of science and technology under an Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) fund, according to minister for science and technology, Fawad Chaudhary.
“Islamic Development Bank has fixed a grant of $500 million to be spent for the development of science and technology in Muslim countries,” Chaudhary told Arab News in an interview on Saturday.
“Initially Pakistan is going to provide $50 million projects for up-gradation of health technology and digitalization,” the minister said. “These digitalization projects include establishing smart villages in different Muslim countries. These villages will have Internet, bio-energy, solar system, and other digital facilities,” he added. “First we will implement it in Pakistan as a model.”
Chaudhry said that work had immediately commenced on the projects after his arrival from Saudi Arabia where these projects were discussed during the IsDB-TWAS (The World Academy of Science) workshops in Jeddah from Dec.16 to18.
The IsDB established a special $500 million Science, Technology and Innovation Transform Fund (IsDB-STIF) to help its member countries find practical solutions to their key development challenges through the power of innovation. The fund will support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
“Pakistan will have a major share in the fund as the world’s third-largest freelance software exporter,” Chaudhry said.
“IsDB has also established a south-to-south program, in which Muslim countries can help each other. Pakistan has a major role in the development of science and technology in the Muslim world under the south-to-south cooperation scheme,” the minister said. “Pakistan will help Islamic countries particularly in the fields of information technology, digitalization, biotechnology.”
The chairman of Prime Minister’s Task Force on Science and Technology, Atta-ur-Rahman, hailed the IsDB initiative.
“There is a need for massive investment in science, technology, and innovation, so in this way, this is an excellent initiative of IsDB, but member countries have to utilize it with utmost commitment,” Rehman told Arab News, adding that currently, the average expenditure of Muslim countries on science and technology was only 0.46 percent of their GDPs, while it should be at least 3 percent.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, supervisor of the general secretariat of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW) told Arab News over the phone from Makkah that the IsDB initiative is in line with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) science, technology and innovation (STI) agenda.
“This opportunity should be utilized for impact-based scientific work, which can change the life of the humans in the Muslim world and above,” he said.
Pakistani nuclear physicist, Samar Mubarakmand, told Arab News that Pakistan should be a leading force in science in the Muslim world, as it is far ahead of others.
“This fund by IsDB can be a good platform to improve research and development in Islamic countries. Pakistan should prepare such projects with this fund, which can benefit the masses in the Muslim world and lift up living standards of common people,” he said.
