Mahvish Ayub, Head of Strategy, National Incubation Center, Peshawar (NIC Peshawar), Pakistan

1) How do you use your role to ensure that technology and policy are truly inclusive?

As the Head of Planning & Strategy at the National Incubation Center Peshawar — a government-funded initiative of the Ministry of IT & Telecom and Ignite, and now operated by a consortium of LMKR, Sybrid, IMSciences, and Accelerate Prosperity — I work to design innovation programs that reflect the realities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

NIC Peshawar has always stood at the crossroads of public-sector ambition and private-sector agility. My role is to ensure that the policies, programs, and digital interventions we design genuinely include those who are often left behind: women, youth, crisis-affected communities, and first-time entrepreneurs.

Through careful ecosystem mapping, inclusive design workshops, and community-driven planning, we create programs that are accessible for all.

This includes tailored support for women-led startups like Stemverse and BizB, pathways for rural founders, and strong partnerships with universities and government departments.

Our focus is simple: innovation that people can trust because they can access it.

2) What’s a moment in your career when you saw firsthand how technology or a new policy changed a citizen’s life for the better?

One of the most powerful moments came during a digital-skills and robotics program funded by Relief International and GIZ, and executed by our NIC Peshawar-incubated startup Stemverse.

I saw a young Afghan girl — who had never used a computer — complete her first microcontroller project. Her confidence transformed instantly. She said she finally believed she could build a future in technology.

That moment reminded me that technology is not merely a tool — it is an equaliser. When people access skills that were once out of reach, their entire sense of possibility changes.

3) What was the most impactful project you worked on this year, and how did you measure its success in building trust and serving the needs of the public?

The most impactful project I led was the creation of the NIC Peshawar Completion & Impact Report (2017–2024) — documenting six years of public investment, outcomes, and transformation.

At that time, NIC Peshawar was operated by LMKT and PTCL, and it was important to capture the full scope of work delivered in that foundational phase.

The report wasn’t just a document — it was a transparency tool for citizens and policymakers. We measured trust-building by:

• Clear evidence: job creation, startup survival rates, gender inclusion, and economic indicators
• Open methodology: sharing how data was collected and validated
• Human stories: spotlighting founders, especially women and those from remote areas

Trust grows when people see real impact, not just promises.

4) What was one unexpected lesson you learned this year about designing for real people? This can be about a specific project or a broader lesson about your work.

This year, the biggest lesson came not from a field project but from my own academic journey.

While pursuing my MS in Data Science alongside my work responsibilities, I began applying machine learning concepts to real-world public problems and startup challenges in KP.

Working with algorithms — from Random Forest and Linear Regression to XGBoost — showed me how powerful data-driven models can be when they are designed to solve human problems.

I realised that inclusive design is not only about interfaces or policies — it is also about designing intelligent systems that understand community gaps, predict risks, and personalise solutions.

Machine learning helped me appreciate that innovation becomes meaningful when models help real people:

• predicting health risks,
• identifying learning gaps,
• optimising resource allocation, or
• supporting early-warning systems in public service.

This was an unexpected but deeply enriching lesson: technology is most human when powered by empathy and intelligence together.

5) We hear a lot about AI. What's a practical example of how AI can be used to make government services more inclusive and trustworthy?

AI becomes transformative when used to solve everyday public-sector challenges. Practical examples include:

• Predictive models to detect disease outbreaks early, helping health departments take preventive action.
• AI-driven diagnostics that assist doctors in underserved areas with early detection based on image classification or symptoms data.
• Machine learning models that identify service gaps, such as areas where women cannot access digital services or where documentation barriers exist.
• Natural language processing to analyze citizen feedback and complaints at scale, highlighting patterns that would otherwise be invisible.

These applications build trust because they help governments anticipate problems, respond faster, and design services that genuinely meet people's needs.

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6) How are you preparing for the next wave of change in the public sector? What new skill, approach, or technology are you most excited to explore in the coming year?

I am investing in:

• Advanced data science and AI skills,
• Human-centred systems design,
• Digital public infrastructure,
• Future-skilling programs for youth and women,
• Integrating AI tools into incubation and entrepreneurship pipelines.

I am especially excited about applying ML models to the startup ecosystem — helping founders predict customer behaviour, improve product-market fit, and design tech solutions that respond to KP’s specific needs.

7) What advice do you have for public sector innovators who want to build a career focused on serving all citizens?

Start with empathy, build with data, and test with communities.

Innovation in government is not about speed — it is about sincerity. Go to the field, listen to people, include women and marginalised groups in design decisions, and let real stories shape policy.

Serve with humility and curiosity.

8) Who inspires you to build a more inclusive and trustworthy public sector?

The women and youth of KP inspire me every day.

Their resilience — often in the face of limited resources — reminds me why inclusive GovTech matters.

Entrepreneurs from NIC Peshawar, particularly first-generation founders and women-led ventures, continuously push boundaries and prove what local talent can achieve.

9) If you had an unlimited budget, what would your dream project be?

I would create KP’s first Inclusive Digital Innovation & Skills Campus — a hub offering:

• AI & robotics learning labs
• Women-only digital upskilling zones
• A GovTech sandbox for civil servants
• Startup seed funding for women
• Community innovation studios across districts
• ML-driven applied research with universities

This would allow every citizen — regardless of gender or background — to access future-ready skills.

10) Outside tech, what excites you the most?

Outside of tech, I am energised by entrepreneurship, creativity, and human connection.

I love seeing women in KP building home-based businesses, managing small ventures with incredible resilience, and proving that economic empowerment can start from a single room in a house.

I am equally inspired by young students who think boldly — those who challenge traditional paths, experiment with ideas, and dream of launching startups that solve real problems. Their curiosity and courage remind me why innovation matters.

These stories of women and youth building something from nothing — using skill, passion, and imagination — are what excite me the most.