Meta will train 1,000 Pakistani small and medium-sized enterprises in artificial intelligence and business skills this year, the commerce ministry said, as Islamabad seeks to tap into its young population to drive digital economic growth and innovation. The statement followed a meeting between Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan and a Meta delegation in Islamabad, during which the company presented details of its Small Business Academy programme, launched in June with the aim of helping small businesses move from small to scale by using digital and AI-enabled tools to find customers, improve productivity, and grow across the Asia-Pacific region.
According to the commerce ministry, the Small Business Growth Academy programme will train 1,000 SMEs across Pakistan between August and November 2026 on Meta’s digital platforms, AI-powered business tools, and online marketing strategies. The programme will be implemented by Pakistani AI training and implementation company AtomCamp, with participation offered free of cost to ensure smaller businesses without dedicated training budgets are not excluded from the opportunity. The delegation shared that the programme aims to improve digital skills, expand market access, and support women entrepreneurs and businesses in smaller cities through both physical and online training sessions, reflecting an effort to extend the initiative’s reach beyond Pakistan’s larger urban centres.
The development comes as Pakistan pushes to implement digital and AI initiatives across government functions more broadly, with the country having launched an AI-based system within the Prime Minister’s Office this week to help track the premier’s directives and their implementation. Khan said Pakistan is increasingly focusing on digital trade, e-commerce, and the use of technology to expand exports, improve market intelligence, and strengthen engagement with international markets through its trade missions abroad, framing the Meta partnership within this broader digital trade strategy rather than treating it as an isolated corporate training initiative.
Khan noted that Pakistan’s young population, expanding smartphone penetration, and rapidly growing digital economy present significant opportunities for technology companies to partner with the government in building digital skills and enabling entrepreneurs to benefit from online platforms, and assured Meta that the commerce ministry would facilitate introductions and institutional linkages across Pakistan’s business community. The Meta delegation thanked the minister for his support of the Small Business Growth Academy and welcomed the opportunity to connect with the Directorate General of Trade Organizations and other business stakeholders to expand the programme’s reach further across the country.
The latest development also signals Pakistan’s growing partnership with the technology giant more broadly, with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and Meta having signed a letter of intent this week to promote online safety and digital literacy across the country. Under this separate collaboration, the regulator said it would work with Meta on capacity building, policy dialogue, awareness campaigns, and the exchange of global best practices related to youth online safety and digital wellbeing, adding another dimension to the expanding relationship between Meta and Pakistani government institutions.
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