The Punjab Information Technology Board, an autonomous body operating under the Government of Punjab and established in 1999 to modernise governance and strengthen information technology infrastructure across the province, has entered into a formal partnership with iamtheCODE, a United Kingdom-registered charitable foundation working to expand digital access and technology education for women and girls globally. The collaboration, announced via iamtheCODE’s official channels, brings together one of Pakistan’s most active provincial technology bodies with an international organisation whose stated mission is to enable one million young women and girls to become coders by the year 2030.
The partnership is framed around a shared commitment to equipping Pakistani women and girls with a broad set of future-oriented competencies, spanning digital skills, artificial intelligence literacy, technology education, and what iamtheCODE describes as life and human-centric skills. These are areas that have taken on increasing importance as economies across the region undergo digital transformation, and where the participation gap between men and women remains a persistent structural challenge. For Punjab Information Technology Board, which has over the years built a considerable footprint in rolling out e-governance solutions, digital infrastructure, and technology-driven public services across Punjab, the collaboration represents an extension of its mandate into the human capital dimension of the digital economy, specifically targeting segments of the population that have historically had uneven access to technology education and professional pathways in the sector.
iamtheCODE, in announcing the partnership, described it as representing hope, opportunity, and transformation, expressing commitment to enrolling and inspiring as many women and girls as possible across Pakistan through structured access to digital tools, knowledge resources, and confidence-building programmes. The foundation’s broader goal of training one million young women coders by 2030 gives the collaboration a clear measurable direction, and Punjab’s scale as one of Pakistan’s most populous and administratively active provinces positions this partnership to potentially reach a significant number of beneficiaries. At a time when Pakistan’s technology sector is actively seeking to grow its talent base and improve gender representation within it, initiatives that combine institutional reach with targeted skilling programmes for women carry particular relevance for the country’s longer-term ambitions in the digital economy.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.