Pakistan, Gates Foundation Deepen Health and Digital Finance Cooperation

Pakistan and the Gates Foundation agreed on Thursday to deepen cooperation across health, human capital development, financial inclusion and digital innovation as the government seeks international partnerships to support its wider economic and social reform agenda. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb held talks in Islamabad with a senior delegation led by Dr Anita Zaidi, President of the Gender Equality Division, and Kalpana Kochhar, Interim President of the Global Policy and Advocacy Division.

The discussions covered economic reforms, maternal and child health, nutrition, women’s participation in the economy, digital technology and private-sector investment. Both sides indicated that future cooperation would focus on programmes capable of improving development outcomes while expanding access to financial and public services, particularly for communities that remain underserved by conventional systems.

The delegation outlined expanding work in human capital and women’s economic empowerment, including a programme in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that combines cash transfers with nutrition assistance and livelihood training. The initiative is expected to reach around 170,000 women and 450,000 children during the year, linking financial support with measures intended to improve household resilience and long-term social outcomes.

Maternal health and technology were another major part of the discussions. Zaidi highlighted projects using artificial intelligence to improve health outcomes, including work involving the LUMS AI Hub and provincial governments to develop locally relevant digital health solutions. Such initiatives could help authorities use technology for better targeting, monitoring and delivery of healthcare in areas where access and institutional capacity remain uneven.

Financial inclusion was also prominent, with interest expressed in improving financing for small and medium-sized enterprises through better use of data, digital financial records and cash-flow-based lending. The talks also covered agriculture, private equity and investment in Pakistan’s digital economy. Expanding lending based on business activity rather than conventional collateral could potentially improve access to credit for smaller firms and agricultural enterprises that have historically faced financing constraints.

Aurangzeb outlined the government’s economic reform priorities, including privatisation, expenditure rationalisation, digitalisation and efforts to improve access to finance. He also stressed greater automation in the tax system alongside stronger enforcement and taxpayer facilitation, while highlighting the importance of coordination between federal and provincial authorities. Women’s workforce participation and measures addressing rapid population growth were discussed as important components of Pakistan’s longer-term development strategy.

The engagement comes as Pakistan accelerates its shift toward digital payments and greater documentation of economic activity. In related discussions during the delegation’s visit, officials said active merchants using digital payments had risen from about 500,000 to more than 2.03 million, surpassing an earlier target of two million. A Rs3.5 billion subsidy supporting Raast QR adoption has been used to encourage merchants and consumers to move toward electronic transactions, while further expansion of government payments and merchant onboarding is planned.

The next phase will depend on translating the discussions into specific programmes and implementation arrangements across health, finance, technology and human development. For Pakistan, deeper cooperation could provide technical expertise and targeted support for digital public infrastructure, maternal and child health, SME financing and women’s economic participation, while progress will ultimately be measured by whether these initiatives expand access and produce tangible improvements for households and businesses.