ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) and the United Nations University (UNU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate “Project GovAI,” a national digital micro-learning and upskilling initiative aimed at strengthening artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities across Pakistan’s public sector.

The agreement was formalised during Indus AI Week 2026, marking a significant step toward equipping more than one million Pakistani civil servants with practical AI skills by 2028. The collaboration will be coordinated by UNU-EGOV, with contributions from other UNU institutes including UNU-IAS, UNU-MERIT and the United Nations University Institute in Macao.

GovAI is designed to support PDA’s five-year Digital Master Plan by focusing on the “capability layer” needed to deliver modern, secure and citizen-centric digital services. Under the MoU, the partners will undertake a time-bound discovery and testing phase to assess curriculum design, learning architecture and platform options. Early pilots—including micro-trainings, webinars and e-learning modules—will be launched to evaluate localisation, engagement and measurable impact before a broader scale-up.

Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja described AI as a national priority, saying the initiative would help make government services faster, simpler and more accessible. PDA Vice Chairperson Mohammad J. Sear noted that GovAI would ensure the civil service develops the governance and technical capacity required to deliver digital transformation effectively.

UNU Rector Tshilidzi Marwala emphasised that responsible AI adoption in the public sector is essential for sustainable development and global cooperation. Over time, both institutions aim to explore GovAI’s potential as a scalable digital public good that other countries can adapt for responsible AI capacity building.