The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication and Meta have formally launched the Small Business Growth Academy in Pakistan, an initiative designed to help small and medium sized businesses adopt digital and Artificial Intelligence enabled technologies. The programme follows through on an invitation extended to Meta earlier this summer by Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, and marks the point at which the collaboration moves from planning into active rollout, with the Information Technology Ministry now taking the lead role alongside Meta in bringing the initiative to businesses across the country.
The initiative aims to improve productivity, expand customer reach, strengthen digital marketing, automate customer interactions and help businesses access local and international markets. It is designed to support more than one thousand small businesses through practical training on Meta’s digital platforms and Artificial Intelligence enabled tools, with a particular focus on helping entrepreneurs build stronger digital presences, reach new customers, improve marketing effectiveness and identify opportunities for expansion. Training will be delivered through a mix of in person and virtual workshops, structured learning modules and partner led sessions, an approach intended to make the programme accessible regardless of a business owner’s location or existing familiarity with digital tools.
The programme will be implemented by AtomCamp and is supported by a coalition of local organisations including the Ignite National Technology Fund, Pakistan Software Houses Association, Pakistan Software Export Board, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority, and DialZero. It is set to run across nine cities, namely Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan, Hyderabad, Peshawar and Quetta, with particular emphasis placed on women led businesses and entrepreneurs working in sectors including textiles, handicrafts and information technology services. The involvement of multiple public and private sector bodies reflects an effort to coordinate the rollout across different regions and business communities rather than concentrating the programme’s benefits in the country’s larger urban centres alone.
Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said that equipping small and medium sized enterprises with digital and Artificial Intelligence capabilities was essential to building a more inclusive, innovative and competitive economy, describing the effort as central to the Prime Minister’s vision for an innovation driven future and part of the country’s broader push toward becoming a Digital Nation Pakistan. The minister also spoke about the importance of continued cooperation between government, technology companies and industry stakeholders to ensure the benefits of digital transformation reach businesses throughout the country rather than remaining concentrated among firms already active in digital markets.
Representing Meta, Associate Public Policy Manager for Asia Pacific Tehara Punchihewa said that small businesses are already using the company’s Artificial Intelligence enabled tools to reach customers and grow, and that the Small Business Growth Academy is intended to give more entrepreneurs the practical skills and support needed to use these tools with confidence. The Pakistan rollout forms part of a wider Small Business Growth Academy programme being extended across twelve countries in the Asia Pacific region, with the local version tailored to Pakistan’s market conditions and focused on practical digital capabilities that can support business growth, improved market access and stronger competitiveness for participating enterprises going forward.
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