The government is prioritizing efforts to equip the country’s youth with high quality digital skills, with officials stressing that women’s active participation in the digital economy is essential to shaping Pakistan’s future in the sector. Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said this in her message on World Youth Skills Day, noting that the government is providing women with strong work from home opportunities in the IT sector and in freelancing.
She said it remains the prime minister’s vision that every young person should have access to quality education and be able to develop modern skills, adding that Pakistani youth have significant potential to compete globally in the field of information technology. Through training in advanced technologies and artificial intelligence, she said young people are being prepared to meet future demands in an increasingly digital economy.
The minister further said the government is providing a supportive environment and full backing for startups and women entrepreneurs, with the broader goal of positioning Pakistan as an emerging global hub for information technology and the digital economy. Her remarks come as the country’s digital export sector shows signs of a more mature and diversified phase, with IT exports rising to approximately $4.5 billion in the 2025-26 fiscal year, up from $3.475 billion during the same period the previous year.
Pakistani small and medium businesses are also moving beyond their traditional reliance on markets in the United States and Europe, actively expanding into Asia Pacific hubs such as Japan and Singapore, a shift officials say is yielding encouraging results. The comments reflect a broader government push to align youth training programs with the skills needed to sustain this growth, as officials continue to position digital skills development as central to the country’s long term economic strategy.
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