Lokesh Says AP Is India’s Next Global Innovation Hub
AP minister showcases education, tech, and sports reforms during Australia tour
Vijayawada: Education and IT minister Nara Lokesh on Friday projected Andhra Pradesh as India’s next global innovation hub, citing its transformative initiatives in education, industry and sports on the sixth day of his Australia tour.
He held a series of meetings in Melbourne, including the Education Round Table, Austrade Executives’ Round Table, CII Partnership Summit Roadshow and an interaction with Cricket Victoria officials on Friday.
Lokesh outlined AP’s integrated roadmap towards a $2.4 trillion economy by 2047, combining advanced technology, world-class education and global investment partnerships.
The minister said the government was determined to build a world-class education ecosystem by 2029 through revolutionary reforms. “The LEAP (Learning Excellence in Andhra Pradesh) initiative is designed to prepare our students with 21st-century skills through AI-based learning, foundation literacy and numeracy, and outcome-based teaching,” he said at the Melbourne International Education Round Table organised by Austrade.
He highlighted that Andhra Pradesh’s curriculum reforms are aligned with NEP-2020 and focus on digital learning, ethics and innovation.
During an interaction with Austrade leaders headed by Elodie Journet, Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh aims to become a Global Economic Powerhouse by 2047, backed by policy consistency, cutting-edge technology and sustainable development. The state attracted $117 billion in investments in the last 16 months, he said, crediting this to the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
Outlining investment opportunities across aerospace, agritech, electronics, semiconductors, pharma, green hydrogen and deep-tech, Lokesh noted that Visakhapatnam is emerging as a major data and innovation hub with Google setting up a $15-billion AI centre and ArcelorMittal establishing India’s largest steel plant costing `1.35 lakh crore.
Andhra Pradesh would also launch South Asia’s first 156-qubit quantum computer services in Amaravati by January 2026 under the Quantum Valley initiative, he said.
At the CII Partnership Summit Roadshow in Melbourne, Lokesh urged Australian investors to join AP’s growth story. He said the arrival of Google’s data centre followed 13 months of relentless efforts, involving crucial policy reforms in coordination with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and central ministers. “Once you partner with us, it’s not your project—it’s our project,” he said.
Lokesh projected Visakhapatnam Economic Corridor as a future trillion-dollar hub and invited industrialists to the Partnership Summit 2025 scheduled for November 14–15.
Meanwhile, in a separate meeting with Cricket Victoria executives, Lokesh discussed joint training camps, friendly matches and eco-friendly cricket infrastructure collaborations between Victoria and Andhra Pradesh.
Stressing on women’s cricket and fan engagement through digital platforms, he said Andhra Premier League (APL) had successfully showcased local talent, with players like Shaikh Rasheed and Nitish Reddy now securing IPL contracts. Cricket Victoria officials expressed interest in partnering for a cricket academy in India and supporting women’s cricket development.