Abida Shaheen
Islamabad: Pakistan is intensifying efforts to expand its technology export footprint by enabling local IT companies to compete in the vast United States State, Local and Education (SLED) procurement market, estimated at around $1.5 trillion, Information Technology and Telecommunication Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said this week.
The initiative is part of Islamabad’s broader strategy to strengthen foreign exchange earnings by tapping into high-value international public sector contracts, particularly in the United States, which already serves as Pakistan’s largest destination for technology exports.
Addressing the closing ceremony of a government-supported training programme for IT firms in Islamabad, the minister said Pakistani technology companies were being prepared to bid for contracts offered by US state governments, municipalities, public school districts, and higher education institutions.
She noted that while Pakistani software firms have already established a presence in global private markets, the government is now focused on unlocking access to public procurement channels in the United States, which collectively comprise tens of thousands of independent purchasing bodies.
“The United States already is our largest export partner. Sixty-two percent of our exports in the tech sector go to the US,” Shaza Fatima Khawaja said, underscoring the scale of existing trade ties and the potential for further expansion.
She described the SLED market as a major untapped opportunity, highlighting that it connects Pakistani firms to nearly 90,000 public-sector buyers across the United States, spanning spending on software development, cybersecurity, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other digital services.
“The opening of this market to about 90,000 buyers, with a value exceeding $1.5 trillion, represents a significant opportunity for our IT industry to scale up exports,” she added.
According to the minister, 74 Pakistani technology companies have already been trained under a pilot programme aimed at improving their capacity to compete for international public contracts. The government’s investment in the initiative stood at approximately Rs6–7 million (around $25,000), with early signs of commercial engagement already emerging.
She further stated that future public-sector training initiatives would be assessed on outcome-based metrics, including contract wins, revenue generation, and employment creation, rather than participation numbers alone.
Khawaja also announced reforms in evaluation mechanisms for government-supported tech training programmes, including independent tracer studies conducted six months after completion to track whether participants secured jobs, started businesses, or obtained international work opportunities.
Pakistan’s IT sector has recorded steady growth in recent years, driven by software development, business process outsourcing, and freelancing. Authorities continue to identify the digital economy as a key pillar for export diversification, aiming to increase earnings by expanding global market access for domestic firms.
