Enhancing Business Relations: Saudi Arabia’s Plan for Pakistan’s Tech Industry

Ostensibly, the caretaker IT minister Dr. Umar Saif seems to be pretty active in taking measures for the enhancement of the IT sector of Pakistan. Yesterday, in another announcement, the Minister informed about the Saudi decision to establish a special desk to facilitate Pakistani IT companies seeking to register themselves in KSA prior to launching their business operations.

The Caretaker Minister visited the kingdom where he held a meeting with a number of high-profile officials. On the social media platform X, the official particularly mentioned his “incredibly productive meeting” with Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih, showing gratitude for his warmth and support.

Furthermore, it is pertinent to mention here that the development took place on the same day KSA & Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Riyadh to improve bilateral cooperation in the field of IT. According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), it would be achieved“by accelerating digital transformation, promoting innovation, and developing digital infrastructure.”

“He [al-Filah] has instructed [the Ministry of Investment] to establish a special desk for Pakistani IT companies to get registered in KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] and to grant [them] licenses to operate in KSA,” he said. “This desk will also work with our IT industry to offer business [opportunities] in the public and private sector” of the kingdom, he continued. In response, the Pakistani minister described this as “the number one demand of our IT companies.”

Meanwhile, Saudi news agency the new bilateral cooperation would allow both countries to strengthen their start-up ecosystems and lead to the setting up of a task force “to promote Saudi-Pakistan Digital Cooperation.”

“The two countries will create and explore how entrepreneurs and enterprises can benefit from tech investments and venture capital under the MoU,” the report added. “They aim to deepen their digital economy ties by evaluating and qualifying companies for collaborative opportunities in their ICT markets.”

In addition, the MoU will assist Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in collaborating in e-governance, smart infrastructure, e-health, e-education, and emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence, robotics, and blockchain.

“The two counties will develop their digital infrastructure by enhancing the connectivity of their fiber optic networks, data centers, and cloud computing,” SPA said. “The MoU will encourage participation in each other’s international events and the exchange of information between their private and public enterprises in IT development and electronics.”

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