Pakistan needs stronger digital infrastructure, better technology skills and closer collaboration between government, academia and industry to accelerate the growth of its IT sector, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said.
She was speaking at the American Business Forum (ABF)–LUMS Thought Leadership Session, titled “Taking Pakistan’s IT Industry to the Next Level,” held at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
Shaza Fatima said Pakistan must strengthen its digital ecosystem by improving fibre connectivity, mobile broadband, spectrum availability and regulations governing satellite technologies. She said a robust digital infrastructure was essential for enabling technology companies to expand, attracting investment and helping Pakistani businesses compete in international markets.
The minister also stressed the need to address the country’s shortage of appropriately skilled technology professionals. She said Pakistan had significant employment opportunities in the IT sector, but its human resources were not yet equipped with the skills required by employers.
“The jobs are there. The opportunity is there. But the right people with the right skills are not there,” she said.
Giving an indication of the skills gap, Shaza Fatima said around 33,000 seventh- and eighth-semester computer science students had taken a national baseline assessment covering 10 employability competencies. According to her, only 0.4 percent of the students scored above 80 percent, while around 4 percent scored above 68 percent.
She said Pakistan needed structural reforms in university curricula, teaching practices and the K-12 education system to improve the quality, skills and employability of technology graduates. She added that both a skilled workforce and a stronger digital ecosystem would be crucial for achieving Pakistan’s ambitious $15 billion IT export target.
Speaking at the LUMS session, Umair Khan, Co-founder and Chairman of Folio3 and Founding Partner of Mentors Fund, said Pakistan needed to move beyond its dependence on freelancing and develop technology companies capable of scaling internationally.
He called for improvements in K-12 education, a predictable taxation framework and stronger public-private partnerships to create an environment conducive to the growth of technology businesses.
Dr Syed Sohail H. Naqvi, Chairperson of Knowledge Streams and Director, EdTech, TMC, argued that Pakistan’s technology challenge could not be addressed by focusing solely on universities. He said the availability of jobs and market opportunities was equally important and called for greater government procurement from local technology companies.
Ahmed Azmat, Director Operations at Stewart Pakistan, highlighted the country’s potential as a destination for technology investment. He said Stewart Pakistan had been operating in Pakistan for more than 15 years and continued to expand its presence. He noted that the company had invested $1.3 million in a new office at the National NSTEP facility, reflecting continued investment in the country’s technology ecosystem.
Dr Hadia Majid, Faculty of Economics at LUMS, highlighted the potential of technology and freelancing to increase women’s workforce participation by providing flexible and remote employment opportunities.
Related: LUMS Scientists Identify Promising Plant Compounds
The session brought together representatives from government, academia and industry to examine the challenges and opportunities facing Pakistan’s technology sector. The discussion was organised by the American Business Forum in collaboration with LUMS and moderated by Dr Ihsan Ayyub Qazi, Faculty of Computer Science at LUMS.
