Third cohort of KP Civic Innovation Fellowship Program to launch tomorrow

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IT Board (KPITB), Code for Pakistan (CfP) and the World Bank Group are joining hands to launch the third cycle of the KP Civic Innovation Fellowship Program on Tuesday, March 7, at Durshal Government Innovation Lab in Peshawar.

KP Civic Innovation Fellowship Program is a six-month program where software developers, designers, researchers and domain experts from local government departments work together to improve government processes and inspire citizens engagement by leveraging technology. The citizens and government work together to create innovative solutions in public services.

Launched in 2014, KPITB, CfP and World Bank have successfully run two cycles of this Fellowship program. The Fellowship teams partnered with seven government departments including the Traffic Police Department, Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Health Department, KPITB, DoIT, and Electricity Department to develop nine different open source applications.

This year, 3rd batch of KP Civic Innovation Fellowship Program is set to revolutionize public service delivery through technology. KPITB, CfP, and World Bank have selected 20 qualified Fellows from a pool of thousands of applicants. They have been divided into five groups, each of which will work with five govt departments to build apps that will improve service delivery. The departments are:

• KP Tourism
• Peshawar Traffic Police
• Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP)
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB)
• Directorate of Industries and Commerce: Joint stock companies, firms, and societies.

The benefits of the Fellowship Program include a monthly stipend of PKR 30,000 for six months, professional mentorship, leadership development training, free workspace, and a chance to work with Government departments to bring about a change in the digital landscape of KP.

The event will be attended by the heads of govt departments, as well as KPITB, CfP and World Bank representatives, Fellows, Fellowship Alumni, and mentors.