Pakistan launches first private-funded skills impact bond

Pakistan’s government has launched the country’s first private-capital-funded skills impact bond, introducing an outcome-based financing model aimed at expanding technical skills training and reducing long-term reliance on public funds.

The Pakistan Skills Impact Bond, or PSIB, begins with a PKR 1 billion ($3.5 million) pilot tranche backed by a guarantee from the Ministry of Finance.

The three-year instrument will fund a Technical Skills Development Program, with investor payments tied to measurable results such as certification, job placement and at least six months of employment retention for trainees, officials said.

Future tranches are expected to gradually link repayments to a small portion of trainees’ salaries, a move intended to phase out sovereign guarantees and create a more sustainable, market-based financing structure.

Financing documents, including investor and issuer agreements, were signed at a launch ceremony attended by senior government officials, development partners, private sector representatives and international organizations.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the bond reflects a shift away from traditional budget-based social spending toward outcome-driven and accountability-focused financing. He described the government’s PKR1 billion guarantee as a catalytic, proof-of-concept measure designed to attract private capital, with a roadmap to limit future exposure on the government’s balance sheet.

Aurangzeb said skills development and human capital are central to Pakistan’s economic reform agenda, adding that large-scale upskilling and reskilling are needed to translate the country’s demographic potential into sustained growth.

He also highlighted a gender inclusion target under which women will make up 40% of trainees, based on recommendations from the British Asian Trust.

Officials said the PSIB grew out of work by a multi-stakeholder Committee on Social Impact Financing, which developed Pakistan’s first Social Impact Financing Framework covering education and human capital, gender equality, health, population stabilization, climate resilience, and poverty and migration.

Muhammad Amir Jan, executive director of the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission, said the bond signals a transition toward a demand-driven and outcome-based skills ecosystem, supported by reforms in governance, financial transparency, provincial coordination and industry linkages.

Education and Professional Training Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the initiative would help strengthen coordination and long-term planning in education and skills policy.

The event also included remarks from Zafar Masud on the role of the Bank of Punjab in the bond’s structure, and Asif Rangoonwala on the British Asian Trust’s role as program manager. Matt Cannell spoke on the partnership with the U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, while Gulmina Bilal Ahmad reaffirmed NAVTTC’s commitment to delivering measurable outcomes for youth.

Officials said the PSIB is intended as a pilot for future social impact financing instruments, with the goal of scaling skills development through private capital and performance-linked funding.