SAP, a leading German-based enterprise software company, is positioning itself to play a larger role in Pakistan’s fast-expanding IT and technology sector, viewing the country’s young and highly skilled workforce as a strategic advantage.
“Pakistan has one of the most dynamic young tech workforces in the region, which presents a huge opportunity,” said Fahad Zahid, Interim Managing Director, SAP Pakistan, in an exclusive interview with media.
The computer engineer, who holds over 15 years of experience in the technology sector, shared that many startups, scale-ups, and IT exporters in Pakistan are building digital-first business models and need the right digital backbone.
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“To support them, we offer GROW with SAP, a scalable platform for digital-native businesses seeking governance, automation, and global-ready financial processes.”
At the same time, the company is deepening its collaboration with Pakistan’s IT exporters and system integrators, co-innovating on SAP Business Technology Platform to help them build AI, automation, and data-driven solutions that can be deployed both domestically and internationally.
The country’s IT sector has emerged as a rapidly growing export sector, with exports reaching a record $3.8 billion in FY25. In October alone, monthly IT exports reached an all-time high of $386 million, reflecting a 17% year-over-year growth.
SAP is also expanding its workforce enablement programs like the SAP Young Professionals Program and the Digital Skills Initiative to equip Pakistani youth with cloud and AI skills, shared Zahid.
Moving towards AI, cloud
The German multinational is accelerating Pakistan’s transition towards cloud and AI. “Over the years, our strategy in Pakistan has shifted significantly,” said Zahid.
“We started largely as an ERP (enterprise resource planning)-focused organisation, implementing core systems of record. Today, our role is very different. Customers no longer just want technology deployments; rather, they want business outcomes, agility, and intelligence built into every process.”
Thus, the company has moved to a cloud-first, AI-powered transformation model, which focuses on helping organisations “accelerate cloud adoption through RISE with SAP and GROW with SAP,” delivering industry-specific cloud solutions.
“We are already seeing customers benefit through improved forecasting accuracy, reduced operational costs, and more modern customer experiences,” says Zahid.
Making of a regional tech hub
SAP sees ‘tremendous potential’ in Pakistan’s startup ecosystem, driven by a young, ambitious, and globally connected founder community, boosting a strong engineering talent base, and a competitive cost structure.
“This creates a market that could become a regional technology hub,” said Zahid.
“What the ecosystem needs now is continuity in policy and uninterrupted investment to unlock its full potential.”
To support the startup scene, SAP engages with Pakistani incubators and accelerators, while its digital skills programs help founders build the capabilities needed to structure sustainable businesses.
The company has also given its nod of approval to the government’s Digital Pakistan agenda and expects the country’s technology landscape to ‘shift dramatically’ in the next five years.
“These reforms are laying the foundations of a modern digital economy where interoperability becomes a design principle rather than an afterthought,” said the Interim MD.
SAP sees ‘tremendous potential’ in Pakistan’s startup ecosystem, driven by a young, ambitious, and globally connected founder community, boosting a strong engineering talent base, and a competitive cost structure.
Zahid believes AI will no longer sit on the sidelines, but will be embedded into core processes such as forecasting, planning, customer engagement, and citizen services. “With a maturing developer base, Pakistan is also poised to expand its footprint in regional IT exports across the Middle East, Africa, and beyond,” he said.
Not to follow Google’s path
Pakistan’s tech sector has come under renewed focus, with the Google announcement to establish an office making rounds. The global search engine has also committed to setting up an assembly line for Google products in Haripur.
SAP see this development as a ‘positive signal’ for the entire digital ecosystem. “It shows global confidence in Pakistan’s potential,” says Zahid.
However, the company is drawing a clear line between Google’s hardware-focused move and its own priorities. According to the Interim Managing Director, SAP does not plan to replicate hardware investments, as it remains focused “on strengthening the country’s digital backbone”.
“Our priorities include expanding local partner capability, scaling cloud and AI skills programs, driving co-innovation with Pakistani enterprises on SAP BTP, and supporting government digitalisation through secure, modern cloud solutions.
“Where Google is enabling device accessibility, we are enabling enterprise intelligence and resilience. We aim to build the foundational systems Pakistan’s digital economy will rely on for decades.”
Zahid says that SAP’s role in this technology evolution is already ‘well defined’.
“We power mission-critical operations across Pakistan’s utilities, manufacturing, and public-sector institutions, forming the digital core upon which future innovation will be built.”
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