An inclusive society requires an equal contribution from men and women. In-fact both functions as two arms of a human body. If one of the arms won’t work properly, the human body would not achieve its full potential. It would exactly be the case with any society that exclude women in economic development. Pakistan is not an exception to this fact. If we want to commence sustainable social and economic development, we must create an inclusive society for women. Otherwise, our society would act like a body with a fractured arm. According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the total population of Pakistan stood at 241.49 million in 2023, where 51.48 percent of the population were males while 48.51 percent were females. Thus, almost half of our population are females and if we won’t give them equal chances, we will simply lose half of our available human potential. We cannot let this happen to Pakistan, or can we? Asian Development Bank (ADB) points out that female participation in formal employment sector is very low in Pakistan and mostly women either work in homes or on farms. Alas, only one-fourth of the women with university education in Pakistan work outside home. We need to change this if we want to commence lasting socio-economic growth. Information Technology (IT) industry serves as an excellent opportunity for country’s women. As per China’s State Council Information Office (SCIO) website, software and IT service industry earned a revenue worth a whooping USD 1.73 trillion in 2023. Similarly, Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Samsung and Broadcom Inc are few examples of IT companies that earn revenue in billions of dollars each year. There is a dire need for Pakistan to create an ecosystem where IT sector can grow sustainably to meet the needs of today and tomorrow for the country. We can train our youth specifically females to work in software industry and thus play their crucial role in developing a more sustainable Pakistan that is free from unemployment, financial dependence and poverty. We have what it takes to make this happen. Our world in 2050 might be significantly different than the one we experience today. As per a report by National Board of Trade – Open Trade Gate Sweden, artificial intelligence (AI) market size is expected to grow exponentially from 560 million euros (2020) to over 5 billion euros (2030) in Sweden. Ericsson and Volvo are already using AI in automation, predictive maintenance and in customer service. Altogether, revenue generated by IT services in Sweden is expected to increase twice as much from USD 10.1 billion (2020) to USD 20.3 billion (2029). Accenture in its report “The impact of 5G on the European Economy” points out that 5G can potentially either create or revolutionize 20 million jobs in Europe and will likely add 1 trillion euros to European gross domestic product (GDP). Accenture further indicates that Germany will yield the biggest benefit from the introduction of 5G that will result in creation of 4.6 million jobs producing 182 billion euros worth of revenue for the country’s GDP. France will boost its GDP with 131 billion euros worth of revenue through the creation of 2.3 million additional jobs. So can be the case for Pakistan provided we invest enough public policy attention and financial resources in this direction. There are some crucial steps that Pakistan needs to implement. An unhindered supply of electricity from clean sources, followed by ensuring that all could connect to internet at any time and at a price convenient for everyone is a must. Unfortunately, half of our population still lack access to internet as there are 87.35 million internet users in Pakistan today. We need to ensure that everyone would have access to fast and reliable internet connection. Another critical step is to allow IT companies to move foreign currency out of Pakistan to purchase latest IT equipment to revolutionize IT sector. Due to financial turbulence, quite often it becomes difficult for IT companies to clear invoices since they cannot move foreign currency out of country. It is also vital to ensure that IT equipment gets swift custom clearance. The longer an equipment remains stuck in customs, the more it will be prone to damage and diminishing return on investment (ROI). Last but not the least, we need to establish quality IT houses to equip our unemployed women and men with much needed software and hardware development skills that they can then use to seek employment. To conclude, Pakistan’s IT industry can also generate revenue worth USD 100 billion each year. In-fact, policy makers should set this as a goal that Pakistan would earn USD 100 billion as revenue from IT Industry by 2040. This will certainly help us in strengthening our economy by making our society more inclusive for women and by mitigating unemployment and poverty. We can use IT to provide quality online education from well reputed international Universities and Institutes to masses in the country. Similarly, IT sector can help us out in offering better health service as well. In-fact, heart and brain specialists from abroad can help our doctors via internet during critical operations potentially saving precious lives and preventing families from losing their loved ones and from falling in poverty. However, to make this a reality, we must allow IT companies to operate at their full potential, and we should remove any obstacle that can hinder their growth. By investing all our potential in learning critical IT skills, we can create a digital economy that serve our needs adequately both today and tomorrow. Our world in 2050 might be significantly different than the one we experience today. Certainly, IT in general and AI in specific will play a crucial role in getting things done by 2050. Thus, it is critical for us to prepare our economy for the challenges ahead of us. It is possible for Pakistan to earn USD 100 billion as revenue from IT industry by 2040 and Pakistan has both intellectual capacity and financial ability to turn this into reality. The writer is a Stockholm-based policy analyst and the Founder / Operations Manager of Project Green Earth (www.projectge.org)