Pakistan is a land of people with high potential; reflection of which one saw in the past two years in terms of commendable growth in the startup and freelance ecosystems. But this is just the tip of the iceberg; our economic potential is much deeper and wider.
Shared my two cents Payoneer Forum 2022.
The key to achieving financial freedom for all and unlocking Pakistan’s true potential lies with the two pillars of our workforce – entrepreneurs & freelancers.
Where freelancers are a source of foreign exchange in the country, entrepreneurs on the other hand disrupt the economy through their innovation and empathy driven products.
The goal is to make Pakistan a skills driven and entrepreneurial economy by bringing together the two segments, and building a larger ecosystem where the two parts of the equation feed into one another.
It’s a 5 step process:
- The first step is to increase the number of freelancers in the country through the injection of relevant skills, tools and education.
- The next natural progression for any freelancer is to start their own company.
- The increase in the number of freelancers will lead to an increase in the number of startups created in the country supported by an increase in the number of incubators and co-working spaces.
- The more the startups, the more will be the job creation, more value addition in the economy and the larger the number of IT exports.
- This will lead to an increased amount of Venture Capital invested in our startups ultimately leading to an increase in the Foreign Direct Investment.
Continuous repetition of the above will lead to a multiplier effect on our economic growth in the next 3 to 4 years.
This ecosystem backed by a strong education system that promotes skill development and entrepreneurship starting at an early age will prepare our next generation with an entrepreneurial mindset leading to a fast paced economic development in the future.
From academia to freelancers, entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders and the government, each one of the stakeholders has their role to play for Pakistan to emerge as one of the strongest economies in the world.
I am very hopeful that if we build this ecosystem, Pakistan will be a hub of 10 Million freelancers by 2025.
Pakistan Zindabad!