Pakistan Invites Portuguese Investment to Expand Olive Industry
July 4, 2026
Pakistan is stepping up efforts to grow its technology exports by preparing local IT companies to compete for contracts in the United States’ $1.5 trillion State, Local, and Education (SLED) procurement market.
Pakistan is opening new growth opportunities for its technology sector by supporting local IT companies in accessing one of the world’s largest public procurement markets. The initiative aims to expand exports, strengthen the global presence of Pakistani tech firms, attract investment, and create high-value employment while boosting the country’s digital economy.
The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications has launched an initiative to prepare Pakistani technology firms for the United States’ State, Local, and Education (SLED) procurement market, which is valued at approximately $1.5 trillion annually. The market includes procurement by nearly 90,000 public institutions, including state governments, municipalities, public schools, colleges, and universities.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of a government-supported training program, Minister of State for IT and Telecommunications Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the United States remains Pakistan’s largest destination for technology exports, accounting for 62 percent of the country’s total tech exports.
She noted that expanding access to the SLED market would create significant growth opportunities for Pakistani software companies, particularly in areas such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, software development, and digital services.
As part of the pilot program, the government trained 74 Pakistani technology companies to understand the procurement process and compete more effectively for contracts within the US public sector. The initiative represents an investment of approximately Rs6–7 million and is already beginning to generate commercial interest from participating firms.
The government is also introducing a more results-oriented approach to supporting the technology sector. Rather than measuring success by the number of participants trained, future programs will be evaluated based on tangible outcomes such as contracts secured, export revenue generated, employment created, and business growth.
To strengthen accountability, independently conducted tracer studies will be carried out six months after each training program to assess whether participating companies have won commercial projects, expanded operations, or created new job opportunities.
Pakistan’s IT industry has experienced consistent growth in recent years, driven by software exports, business process outsourcing, and a rapidly expanding freelance workforce. By opening new international markets and improving the global competitiveness of local technology companies, the government aims to accelerate export growth while positioning the digital economy as a major contributor to long-term economic development.
