ISLAMABAD – SigveBrekke, President and CEO of Telenor Group, along with IrfanWahab Khan, CEO of Telenor Pakistan and Petter-Børre Furberg, Executive Vice President Telenor Group met the Honorable Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan Imran Khan to discuss the growing and evolving digital ecosystem in the country and Telenor Group’s longstanding commitment to the country.
During the meeting, Brekke shared Telenor Groups journey to becoming one of the largest telecom and digital services provider in Pakistan. SigveBrekke thanked the Government of Pakistan for its continued support for the telecom sector and for encouraging foreign direct investments into the country.In addition,theydiscussed possible collaborations to bringcontinued socioeconomic development and digitalisation for all. Brekke also highlighted Telenor’s commitment towards financial inclusion and informed the Prime Minister of incoming investment of USD 140mnas a result of the recently announcedpartnership with Ant Financial.
The Prime Minister appreciated Telenor’s contribution in the telecom sector and said that the Government aims to develop a knowledge based economy in Pakistan and value Telenor as an important partner in developing the ecosystem that supports the Government’s development agenda.
The Prime Minister reiterated that the Government is committed to transparency and facilitate investors and enable them take full advantage of huge potential existing in the growing economy of the country.
“Pakistan is a key market for Telenor Group and we remain committed to empowering this nation by connecting our customers to what matters most,” said SigveBrekke, President & CEO Telenor Group, while sharing his thoughts. “We hope that the government will not only encouragebusiness-friendly policies, but will also introduce new reforms to enhance access to life-changing digital services and solutions for all.”
“Through Telenor Pakistan’s industry-first initiatives in areas of digital products & services, financial inclusion, agriculture, health, and digital entrepreneurship, we are empowering Pakistan through robust ICT solutions,” said IrfanWahab Khan, CEO Telenor Pakistan. “We have 13 successful years to proudly look back to and aim to serve the people of Pakistan even better with all the learning we have gathered during this time. I thank Prime Minister Imran Khan for his time and am confident that his government will extend the needed support to help us materialise our shared vision of a digital Pakistan.”
During his visit, SigveBrekke also called upon Mr. Asad Umar, Minister of Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairsand Mr. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Foreign Minister and extended his appreciation to the Government for ensuring positive outlook and improving economic indicators that are instrumental towards attracting investment in the country. Brekke also discussed the role of telecom sector in socioeconomic uplift of the country by bringing widespread connectivity to the people of Pakistan.
Telenor Group has been operating in Pakistan since 2005 and has made a significant impact on the socioeconomic uplift of the country. The Group has invested over USD 3.5bn, contributed over USD 2.5bn to the national exchequer since 2005 and created over 5,000 direct jobs, in addition tohundreds of thousands of indirect jobs.
