Muhammad Faisal Kaleem

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom (MoITT) plans to train 10,000 government officials in artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance digital literacy across the public sector institutions.

According to a document available with Wealth Pakistan, the initiative is a key component of the capacity-building drive for relevant government employees under the National AI Policy.

It further states that the MoITT, in collaboration with leading industry partners, is organizing specialized AI workshops for various government institutions to equip officials with practical, future-ready skills.

Under this program, the MoITT has also initiated work on revising the student curriculum in partnership with the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) to align academic content with the requirements of the AI era.

In addition, training of more than 350 educators has been included in this capacity-building scheme under the National AI Policy, while another 650 teachers will be trained through the “training of trainers” model to ensure wider and sustainable outreach.

Under the AI policy, as per documents, a digital skill expansion program will be launched under which 25 new courses on prompt engineering and AI tools will be started. It also includes training of 75,000 individuals for cod4AI programme, which will focus on full-stack AI and deep learning. Upskilling of 2,000 professionals by 2028 is part of this scheme.

The ministry will also get assistance from international partners such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Meta, the UN, and Huawei and ZTE for such training programs. China will grant a specific number of scholarships to 25 universities, while the selection of such scholars will be made by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.

 The initiative aims to improve decision-making, service delivery, and data management in government departments through the effective use of emerging technologies. By integrating AI skills into the public sector, the ministry seeks to promote innovation, efficiency, and transparency in governance. Officials familiar with AI tools will be better able to automate routine processes, analyse large datasets, and develop citizen-centric digital solutions.

The program will create a strong coordination mechanism among the academia, the industry, and the government by ensuring long-term institutional readiness for the rapidly evolving technological landscape, and help Pakistan move towards a knowledge-based digital economy. It will help make better decisions using data analytics, automate routine tasks, and improve accuracy in sectors like healthcare, education, agriculture, and security.

According to experts, this step will enable smart resource management by predicting trends, optimizing supply chains, and improving financial planning through intelligent forecasting tools.

For instance, in healthcare, AI capacity building supports early disease detection, telemedicine, and efficient hospital administration, while in education, it promotes personalized learning, automated assessment, and digital content development. Likewise, for agriculture, it assists in crop monitoring, weather prediction, and precision farming, increasing productivity and food security.

Beyond these benefits, it also enhances governance and security by strengthening data-driven decision-making, improving surveillance analysis, and enabling more effective crisis response, experts said.

Credit: INP-WealthPk