- Partnerships span cloud computing, healthcare AI, e-commerce, digital payment and talent pipelines
- Alibaba to help train 10,000 Pakistani small businesses in AI and digitalization
Pakistan and Alibaba Group signed a series of agreements on Saturday covering AI infrastructure, healthcare technology, digital payments and talent development, as the South Asian country seeks to accelerate its digital economy ambitions.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the signing ceremony alongside Alibaba Chairman Joseph Tsai at Alibaba’s global headquarters in Hangzhou during Sharif’s visit to China.
Multiple Alibaba units, including Alibaba.com, Daraz, Alibaba Cloud and DAMO Academy, signed agreements with Pakistani agencies and companies including the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority, the Ignite National Technology Fund and cloud provider Sky47.
Under the agreements, Alibaba.com will provide AI and digitalization training for 10,000 Pakistani small businesses through its AI-powered trade platform Accio Work.
A dedicated Pakistan Pavilion
The two sides also aim to help at least 2,000 Pakistani companies establish storefronts on the platform and launch a dedicated “Pakistan Pavilion” targeting Alibaba’s network of more than 50 million global buyers.
Daraz subsidiary Koko Tech plans to invest $3 million to expand digital payment services in Pakistan.
Owned and operated by Alibaba, Daraz is Pakistan’s largest e-commerce platform and one of South Asia’s leading online marketplaces, serving more than 300,000 merchants and 28 million consumers.
In AI infrastructure, Alibaba Cloud will support localized cloud and AI applications in Pakistan, including Urdu and regional language capabilities for sectors such as agriculture, government services and finance.
Alibaba’s research arm DAMO Academy will provide its AI-powered medical screening technology to Pakistani healthcare institutions, enabling large-scale cancer and chronic disease detection programs.
The institute said its AI multi-cancer screening tools have already delivered more than 20 million screening services across 10 countries and regions, including Pakistan.
Future-oriented cooperation
The two sides also agreed to deepen cooperation in AI, cloud computing and embodied-intelligence education programs aimed at training future technology talent.
Sharif praised Alibaba’s contributions in e-commerce, AI and talent development, saying collaboration with the company could improve lives in Pakistan through digital inclusion, youth empowerment, agricultural modernization and financial digitization.
Tsai said Pakistan has tremendous talent reserves and digital development potential, adding that Alibaba hopes broader adoption of AI, cloud computing and embodied-intelligence technologies can support healthcare, industrial upgrading and long-term economic growth.
