Pakistan's small firms are being offered a crash course in artificial intelligence, courtesy of one of the world's biggest technology companies. The Ministry of IT and Telecommunication and Meta on Tuesday launched the Small Business Growth Academy, which will train more than 1,000 businesses in nine cities to use digital and AI tools. The programme gives particular attention to women-led enterprises and to firms in textiles, handicrafts and IT services.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a vital part of Pakistan's economy, but many struggle to adopt the digital technologies that could help them market products, automate customer service and sell beyond their immediate neighbourhoods. The academy is designed to narrow that gap through a mix of in-person and online training.
The curriculum centres on Meta's own platforms and AI-enabled tools. Participants will learn to build an online presence, reach customers, sharpen their marketing, automate interactions with buyers and spot opportunities in domestic and foreign markets. That focus means the scheme also serves to deepen small firms' use of Meta's products. Training will be delivered in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan, Hyderabad, Peshawar and Quetta through workshops, structured modules and sessions run by partner organisations. AtomCamp, a Pakistani learning and consulting firm, will implement the programme.
A wide coalition is backing the effort. Support comes from the government-backed Ignite National Technology Fund, the Pakistan Software Export Board, the Pakistan Software Houses Association, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority and DialZero, a technology company.
Shaza Khawaja, the federal IT minister, described SMEs as the backbone of the economy. Equipping them with digital and AI skills, she said, is central to the prime minister's vision of an inclusive, innovation-led future, and the partnership reflects the government's commitment to public-private collaboration on the way to a "Digital Nation Pakistan".
Tehara Punchihewa, Meta's associate public-policy manager for Asia-Pacific, said the company sees small businesses using its AI tools to grow every day. The academy, she said, aims to give more entrepreneurs the practical skills and confidence to use those tools, compete effectively and benefit from the digital economy.
The Pakistani scheme is part of a wider Meta programme being rolled out across 12 Asia-Pacific countries, as technology firms increasingly market AI tools to smaller businesses. Meta has run earlier digital-skills initiatives for Pakistani entrepreneurs, including some aimed at women-owned firms. Whether this latest effort translates into measurable growth for participants, rather than training alone, will be the real test.