ISLAMABAD: Pakistan could realise economic benefits of $60 billion to $80bn over the next five years through digital transformation, with agriculture, real estate and healthcare expected to gain significantly.
A working paper issued by the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) says digitalisation is a major opportunity to accelerate economic growth, improve public service delivery, and streamline government operations.
The working paper has been forwarded to the Ministry of IT & Telecom. However, it notes that the lack of interoperability among government digital systems remains a significant challenge.
The paper adds that digital transformation could generate more than $9bn in economic benefits for the agriculture sector by 2030, while digital reforms in healthcare could yield savings of over $450m.
The real estate sector could attract an additional $15bn in investment by 2030 through digital transformation, the document states. Under the proposed digital framework, the authority will help develop a National Digital Master Plan and digital infrastructure to improve coordination between federal and provincial governments.
The National Digital Master Plan will focus on integrating government systems, reducing administrative bottlenecks and establishing common digital standards across public-sector institutions.
The proposed Pakistan Digital Stack will bring together digital identity, payment systems, and data-exchange mechanisms to enable seamless, secure interactions among government departments.
Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2026
