The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) has begun hiring a consulting firm to review the mandates, functions, and coordination mechanisms of the country’s key digital institutions, as part of a proposed restructuring of the sector’s governance framework.
Terms of Reference (TOR) issued by the ministry show that the review will cover the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), National Information Technology Board (NITB), Ignite-National Technology Fund, Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Universal Service Fund (USF), National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC), Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA), Electronic Certification Accreditation Council (ECAC), Telecom Foundation, and provincial IT boards.
The exercise will identify overlaps in responsibilities, institutional gaps, and coordination requirements among these organizations. The hired consultant will examine the current roles of the ministry and its affiliated entities, recommending a governance framework that improves policy coordination while respecting the statutory mandates of independent regulators and autonomous bodies.
The consultant will also assess how the ministry’s functions align with its attached departments and affiliated organizations to recommend measures for eliminating duplication of responsibilities. Coordination mechanisms between federal and provincial institutions involved in digital governance will also form part of the recommendations.
The review will span key policy areas, including digital public services, telecommunications, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, cloud adoption, and emerging technologies.
Under the TOR, the consultant is required to compare Pakistan’s institutional framework with leading digital governance models around the world and prepare recommendations for a future organizational structure capable of supporting the country’s digital economy over the next decade.
The assignment will also include proposing amendments to the Rules of Business (1973) where needed, along with an implementation roadmap covering institutional reforms, staffing, budgeting, and inter-agency coordination.
The restructuring exercise is being carried out under the ministry’s World Bank-assisted Digital Economy Enhancement Project (DEEP).
The consultancy is expected to begin in October 2026 and continue for six months, concluding with a comprehensive restructuring plan, a legal and regulatory reform roadmap, and an institutional coordination framework defining the roles and responsibilities of the ministry and its affiliated organizations.
