Skilling Youth, Empowering Women, Key to AP’s Growth Vision: Lokesh in Davos

Vijayawada:The Andhra Pradesh government’s foremost priority is to build a future-ready, skilled workforce that can power jobs, competitiveness and sustained economic growth, stated education and IT minister Nara Lokesh in Davos on Wednesday.

Lokesh outlined the state’s multipronged agenda while participating in a high-level discussion at the World Economic Forum meet, on India Equality Moonshot, focused on technological advancement and social equity in education, women’s empowerment and resource distribution.

The session was organised by the US-India strategic partnership forum and the world women foundation.

Lokesh said the government had begun with skilling as the fulcrum, where aspiration met opportunity. “India’s demographic advantage can yield results only if young people are equipped with skills aligned to emerging technologies,” he noted.

The minister said AP was proactively anticipating future shifts and aligning education, skill development and digital infrastructure to deliver measurable outcomes in employment and innovation.

“Through the flagship Naipunya and Kausalam programmes, AP has trained over four lakh youth and women so far. While Naipunya functions as one of the country’s most comprehensive AI-driven skilling and employment platforms—tracking certifications, industry demand and placements—Kausalam focuses on demand-led skills for students and rural youth to enhance employability and livelihoods,” he stressed.

Emphasizing education reforms as foundational, Lokesh said the state was transforming not just curricula but the very way students learn. More than 45 education apps have been integrated into a single digital platform connecting teachers, students and administrators. Future skills such as AI, robotics and STEM are being introduced in government schools, while global exposure is being expanded, he said, through partnerships with universities in the US, UK, Europe, Singapore and Australia.

Industry-aligned certifications are being offered in collaboration with global majors including Oracle, Samsung, Cisco and Schneider Electric. Nearly four lakh students have already accessed global-standard education in AI, cloud computing and data science through the Oracle partnership, Lokesh noted.

The minister said, “Technology-led governance has also enabled real-time decision-making through the RTGS platform, improving disaster management and climate resilience. Andhra Pradesh, he said, is positioning itself not merely as a technology user but a policy shaper, with the establishment of a World Economic Forum centre in the state.

Highlighting entrepreneurship, he said the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub was nurturing young founders, while a robust public-private partnership pipeline—270 projects worth `1.16 lakh crore—reflected strong investor confidence.

Women and youth, Lokesh stressed, are the true engines of economic growth. Through initiatives such as LEAP and expanded credit support to self-help groups under the national urban livelihoods mission, the government is strengthening women’s financial independence and enterprise.

Outlining a long-term vision, he said Andhra Pradesh aims to emerge as a $2.4 trillion economy by 2047, driven by deep tech, logistics, renewable energy and sustainability, with fintech initiatives anchored in Visakhapatnam linking regional ecosystems to global markets.

The session was attended by world women foundation CEO Roopa Dash and USISPF COO Gaurav Verma, among others.