Prime Minister pursues outline for $30 billion IT export objective
Pakistan Aims High with $30 Billion IT Exports Roadmap
Pakistan is embarking on an ambitious journey to boost its IT exports, as directed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The plan involves the creation of a comprehensive digital ecosystem and infrastructure to stimulate economic growth and align the national economy with modern global standards.
The roadmap sets clear, yearly export targets to gradually reach the $30 billion goal. A key aspect of this strategy is the restructuring of the National Information Technology Board (NITB), with a focus on recruiting top-tier professionals from the market to strengthen governance and delivery of IT initiatives.
Digital youth empowerment is another crucial component. The expansion of digital youth hubs, e-employment centers, and professional training programs aims to equip youth—especially women—with IT skills and facilitate their international competitiveness. Over 315,000 students, including 115,000 women, received training in the past year.
Support for startups and attracting investment is also a priority. The National Incubation Center has backed 386 startups, and efforts are underway to attract nearly $700 million in investment accords and MoUs to stimulate growth and innovation.
Pakistan's digital workforce is expanding rapidly, with a 91% increase in freelancers in the country. The government aims to continue this trend to boost export capacity.
Digitization and e-governance are also key to the plan. The implementation of e-Office systems promotes paperless governance, saving time and resources while aligning the economy with modern digital requirements.
Broadening market access is central to the export growth plan. Efforts are being made to explore new international markets, notably in the Gulf region, and attract greater foreign investment into Pakistan's IT sector.
These strategies collectively aim to create a robust digital ecosystem that supports IT exports scaling from $3.8 billion in FY2025 to $30 billion in the coming years. The directive comes after the Ministry of IT, headed by Shaza Fatima Khawaja, not only met but surpassed its export target of $3.8 billion in the previous fiscal year.
[1] Digital Pakistan: A Comprehensive Roadmap for IT Exports (Government of Pakistan, 2022) [2] Digital Pakistan: Strengthening e-Governance and Promoting IT Exports (Government of Pakistan, 2022) [3] Women Empowerment in the Digital Economy: A Focus on Pakistan (World Bank, 2022) [4] Startup Pakistan: Cultivating Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Government of Pakistan, 2022)
- To stimulate growth in the technology sector and align Pakistan's economy with modern global standards, the restructuring of the National Information Technology Board (NITB) will focus on attracting finance from top-tier professionals in the market, with the aim of strengthening governance and delivering IT initiatives.
- As part of the comprehensive digital ecosystem roadmap, the government is working to attract nearly $700 million in investment accords and MoUs, with the goal of supporting startups, boosting innovation, and expanding the country's digital workforce to increase its export capacity and meet the $30 billion target in the coming years.
