Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Ms. Shaza Fatima Khawaja, has concluded a successful visit to LEAP 2026, held in Riyadh from 31st August to 3rd September 2026, wherein Pakistan led one of the largest national participations at the event under the banner of Tech Destination Pakistan, showcasing the country's digital talent, innovation, and technology ecosystem, and attracting significant investment, partnerships, and international attention.
During the visit, the Minister inaugurated the Tech Destination Pakistan Pavilion, delivered a keynote address titled "How We Built a Digital Nation," and held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the conference. The Minister also participated in a panel discussion titled "Governing Growth: Building Human-Centered Digital Economies in an AI-Driven Era," alongside ministers from Algeria, Barbados, Eswatini and Syria, together with the Digital Cooperation Organization Secretary General Ms. Deemah AlYahya.
In her keynote, the Minister highlighted Pakistan's digital transformation journey, anchored in the Digital Nation Pakistan Act, major investments in connectivity including one of the region's largest 5G spectrum auctions, and reforms to attract technology investment, under the vision of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, with the facilitation of Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).
On the sidelines of the conference, the Minister held a series of bilateral meetings, including with H.E. Abdullah Al-Swaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Saudi Arabia; H.E. Dr. Noureddine Ouadah, Minister of Knowledge Economy, Startups and Microenterprise of Algeria; H.E. Bae Kyung-Hoon, Minister of Science and ICT, Republic of Korea; Secretary General of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) Ms. Deemah AlYahya; CEO of the National Technology Development Program (NTDP) Mr. Ibrahim Neyaz; President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) H.E. Mr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi; Governor of the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA), Eng. Majed bin Mohammed Al-Mazyed; CEO of Go Telecom, Mr. Yahya Saleh Al Mansour; CEO of MOZN, Dr. Mohammed Alhussein; and Deputy Governor of Monsha'at, Mr. Saud Khalid AlSabhan.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Pakistan's Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication and Saudi Arabia's National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA), aimed at strengthening bilateral cybersecurity cooperation through the exchange of expertise and best practices to address emerging cyber threats.
The Minister also formally inaugurated the Tech Destination Pakistan Pavilion, featuring 25 startups and over 50 leading Pakistani technology companies showcasing solutions in AI, automation, and digital technologies. Pakistan's participation in LEAP 2026 aimed to facilitate B2B partnerships, attract international investment, and expand global market access for the country's technology sector.
The conference delivered concrete outcomes for Pakistani startups. Office Flow AI signed an Incubation Partnership Agreement with Dhahran Techno Valley (DTV), one of Saudi Arabia's leading tech ecosystems, to develop and scale its AI-powered business automation platform across the region, alongside a deal with MIS Arabia, a major Saudi technology services company serving clients including Aramco and SABIC.Edversity, an Ignite-supported startup under the Ministry of IT & Telecommunication, secured a USD 400,000 investment from Rapidev Group at LEAP 2026 to accelerate its international expansion and scale its AI-powered education platform. Additionally, eight Pakistani startups graduated from Cohort 01 of AstroLabs LEAP, a 12-week soft-landing accelerator delivered through BridgeStart Pakistan, Ignite, and AstroLabs and enabled by Ministry of IT and Telecommunication.
