Exploring Collaboration on Digital Health, Social Protection, & Digital Public Infrastructure

Meaningful discussions between the Gates Foundation and Pakistan Digital Authority

This week, the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) hosted a high-level delegation from the Gates Foundation, led by Dr. Ammar A. Malik, Senior Program Officer and Pakistan Country Economist, together with representatives from Tabadlab, to explore collaboration on Pakistan's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and wider digital transformation agenda.

The meeting was led by Dr. Sohail Munir, Chairperson, PDA, with Mr. Mohammad J Sear, Member, PDA; and Mr. Aamer Rana, Member, PDA; Dr. Sahibzada Ali Mahmud, Chief DPI Officer.

PDA briefed the delegation on its mandate and priority initiatives particularly Digital Public Infrastructure, data exchange, data governance, AI safeguards, citizen-centric service delivery, and the development of the National Digital Master Plan. The Gates Foundation shared its own priorities across health, poverty alleviation, government capacity, digital infrastructure, development finance, and revenue mobilization, and expressed clear interest in deepening its engagement with PDA.

The discussions identified five areas of potential cooperation:

• Digital Health
• Social Protection
• Data Exchange & Governance
• Public Sector & Revenue Transformation
• Citizen-Centric Digital Services

Health and social protection were agreed as the initial areas of focus, underpinned by Digital Public Infrastructure and trusted data exchange. PDA, the Gates Foundation, and Tabadlab will jointly develop an actionable collaboration proposal ahead of the Gates Foundation's senior leadership visit to Pakistan in September 2026.

Partnerships like this reflect a simple conviction: institutions need to align around shared infrastructure and a shared goal for an inclusive, and interoperable digital nation that serves every citizen.