ISLAMABAD, Monday, September 21, 2026: Pakistan’s technology exports are growing by 20 to 21% annually, with more than half going directly to the United States, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on Monday, highlighting growing international interest in the country’s technology sector.
Speaking as chief guest at the Innovation Hive ribbon-cutting ceremony organised by the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP), the minister said the IT and telecom sector had recorded significant growth in recent years.
US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker and other diplomatic and education representatives also attended the event.
Shaza Fatima said the United States had emerged as the strongest partner of Pakistan’s technology community, accounting for more than 50% of the country’s tech exports.
She said the physical presence of major international technology companies in Pakistan was also expanding, reflecting growing confidence in the country’s talent and technology market.
The minister said Google launched a Chromebook assembly line in Pakistan last year and formally opened an office in the country this year.
Apple, she added, had appointed its first head of government affairs for Pakistan, while US-based accelerator Plug and Play had also joined the country’s technology ecosystem.
She described these developments as signs of increasing global confidence in Pakistan’s young technology talent and domestic market.
Turning to startups, the minister said the government was preparing to launch the second phase of the Pakistan Startup Fund through Ignite, an organisation operating under the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication.
The government has allocated an initial seed grant of $10 million for the initiative, while a larger anchor fund is being developed with support from the World Bank and other partners, she said.
Shaza Fatima said global fund managers, rather than the government, would manage the fund in an effort to strengthen transparency and build confidence among international investors.
Pakistan currently has eight National Incubation Centres operating across the country, including a dedicated centre for women entrepreneurs, she added.
The minister said Pakistan needed to create between 2.5 million and 3 million jobs annually to address unemployment, arguing that entrepreneurship offered one of the most effective ways to generate employment opportunities at scale.
She said initiatives such as Innovation Hive could help young Pakistanis by providing workspace, mentorship and connections to international markets.
Shaza Fatima said digital transformation, information technology and telecommunications had become central to the government’s economic strategy under the prime minister’s vision.
She added that digital technologies were increasingly being positioned as a foundation for development not only in the economy and governance but also in sectors including healthcare and agriculture.