KARACHI: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will hold joint workshops to align Islamabad’s national information technology strategy with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 transformation plan, Pakistan’s IT minister said on Thursday, as the two countries seek deeper cooperation in technology, investment and digital infrastructure.

The initiative was announced during LEAP 2026 in Riyadh, where more than 50 Pakistani technology companies and 25 startups are participating as Islamabad seeks greater access to Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing technology market and investment opportunities. The four-day conference runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3 and brings together global technology companies, startups, investors and policymakers in Riyadh.

Pakistan has increasingly looked to Saudi Arabia not only as a source of investment but as a market for its growing technology industry. Islamabad is seeking to increase technology exports, attract foreign capital and help Pakistani companies establish business relationships in the Gulf’s largest economy.

“Joint workshops to be held to align Pakistan’s national IT strategy with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030,” IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said in an address at LEAP, according to a statement from her ministry.

“No country can progress alone or by remaining isolated ... Global cooperation is indispensable for technological progress.”

The ministry did not provide a timetable for the workshops or specify which parts of Pakistan’s IT strategy would be aligned with Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s sweeping program to diversify the Kingdom’s economy away from oil and develop sectors including technology and the digital economy.

Khawaja said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s relationship extended beyond trade and called for stronger international collaboration to advance technological development. She said Pakistan’s presence at LEAP represented a country of 240 million people and its expanding technology ecosystem.

Pakistan’s participation at LEAP includes companies showcasing products and services in artificial intelligence, automation and other digital technologies, with the government seeking business-to-business partnerships, international investment and greater access to overseas markets.

The workshops add a practical element to a series of technology talks between the two countries this week, including discussions on artificial intelligence, data governance, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, digital skills, technology exports and investment.

On the sidelines of LEAP, Khawaja met Saudi Communications and Information Technology Minister Abdullah Alswaha this week, with the two countries agreeing to increase cooperation in cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity. They also discussed business-to-business partnerships, technology exports and investment and strengthening institutional cooperation on digital skills and advanced technology transfer.

In separate talks with Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi, president of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, Khawaja briefed him on Pakistan’s national AI and data-governance initiatives. The two sides agreed to continue discussions toward a broader partnership in AI, data governance and advanced technologies.

Pakistan has also been developing a national digital stack, shared digital infrastructure intended to support the delivery of government and private-sector services, as part of a broader push to digitize its economy. The government says its strategy includes improving connectivity, building technology zones and creating institutions to oversee the country’s digital transformation.