Saudi Arabia eyes Pakistani talent to spearhead its technological transformation: minister

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim on Sunday discussed investments and tech talent collaboration between Islamabad and Riyadh.

The development came during a meeting between FinMin Aurangzeb and Saudi Arabian minister Alibrahim on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference 2026 for Emerging Market Economies, held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The two sides discussed follow-ups on matters relating to Saudi Arabian investments in Pakistan as well as bilateral economic cooperation, the Finance Division said in a statement.

The Saudi Arabian minister highlighted the high-quality artificial intelligence and technology talent being produced by Pakistan, noting that it ranks among the top one or two globally.

He stated that Saudi Arabia is keen to leverage Pakistani tech talent to lead and support the technological transformation underway in the Kingdom.

READ MORE: World Bank reaffirms $20bn 10-year development plan for Pakistan

In this context, he also referred to US businessman and former CEO of Google Eric Schmidt who has similarly acknowledged the strength and potential of Pakistani technology professionals.

FinMin Aurangzeb shared that Pakistan is planning to create a structured pipeline of quality human resources for key international markets, including Saudi Arabia, to generate economic impact for both sides.

The Saudi minister also mentioned progress on the GCC Free Trade Agreement and emphasised prioritising increased trade and exchanges with Pakistan.

Finance Minister Aurangzeb assured that dedicated teams from the Pakistani side are actively leading the process for finalising Saudi Arabia’s investment commitments in Pakistan.

The finance minister also appreciated the government of Saudi Arabia for organising an excellent and strategically significant conference for Emerging Market Economies and thanked Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim for Saudi Arabia’s continued commitment to Pakistan’s economy.

Meanwhile, World Bank Group Managing Director Ms Anna Bjerde has reaffirmed the World Bank Group’s commitment to Pakistan’s ten-year development programme amounting to $20 billion, underscoring the money lending entity’s continued support for Pakistan’s reform and development agenda.

The World Bank MD said this in a meeting with Federal Minister Aurangzeb on Sunday on the sidelines of the Annual AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, being held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Finance Division said in a press release, as both the dignitaries discussed country partnership framework and development priorities.

During the meeting, while following up on World Bank President Ajay Banga’s visit to Pakistan last week, Bjerde highlighted the importance of sustained engagement and effective execution to maximise the developmental impact of the programme.

The both sides reviewed the progress made under the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) and discussed the way forward to further strengthen development cooperation.