SAP executives urged Pakistani businesses to connect artificial intelligence with their data, daily operations and workforce training. At a media roundtable alongside SAP Innovation Day, they highlighted AI adoption, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), education and workforce development as priorities for Pakistan’s digital transformation.
Saqib Sabah, SAP’s head of the Middle East and Africa North Growth Cluster, pointed to Pakistan’s skilled workforce and growing technology capabilities. He said those strengths could help the country contribute to the regional and global technology sectors.
“Pakistan has good education, talent and, more importantly, ambition. The ability and willingness to learn and develop are important assets of this country,” Sabah said.
SAP warns AI can add costs without a clear strategy
Ahmed Al Faifi, SAP’s senior vice president and managing director for Middle East and Africa North, urged businesses to define how AI would fit into their existing operations.
“AI is not cheap. Businesses need a strategy that connects artificial intelligence with enterprise data, business processes and people,” Al Faifi said.
He warned that companies could increase costs and complicate operations if they adopt AI tools without integrating them into existing workflows. He also emphasised continuous learning and digital literacy when discussing Pakistan’s readiness for AI.
The roundtable highlighted how digitalisation could help Pakistan’s small and medium-sized businesses, particularly exporters. Digital systems can help firms maintain records, trace products through supply chains and demonstrate regulatory compliance. They can also improve sustainability reporting and governance, helping smaller exporters compete in international markets.
SAP has separately identified cloud-based enterprise resource planning as one way for Pakistani SMEs to standardise operations. The company says these systems can also give smaller businesses access to analytics and automation.
SAP says 400,000 students benefited from global training
SAP said approximately 400,000 students worldwide benefited from training through its global initiatives over the past five years. The company cited the figure as it reaffirmed its commitment to education and skills development.
In Pakistan, SAP said it continues to strengthen engagement with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), the Ministry of Information Technology and the Government of Pakistan. The company pointed to opportunities for further collaboration.
Those discussions come as Pakistan works to expand access to AI education. The Ministry of IT and Telecommunication’s national roadmap includes plans for 1,000 fully funded AI scholarships by 2030. It also outlines an initiative that aims to train one million professionals outside the IT sector. The ministry announced those plans alongside AI Seekho 2026, a programme focused on practical AI skills.
The roundtable closed with a focus on strengthening Pakistan’s digital foundations through education, infrastructure, cybersecurity and ongoing skills development. SAP’s message to employers was to build staff skills alongside investment in new technology. For small exporters, the discussion highlighted an immediate use for digital tools in the records, traceability and reporting they rely on to sell abroad.
