Economic Affairs Division

What Economic Affairs Division does

The Economic Affairs Division (EAD) is a division of the Government of Pakistan's Ministry of Economic Affairs, headquartered at Block-C, Pak Secretariat in Islamabad. Established in 1973 under Schedule II of the Rules of Business 1973, EAD is statutorily mandated as the sole federal entity responsible for assessing requirements, programming, negotiating, and coordinating all external economic assistance to Pakistan from foreign governments and multilateral agencies. Its operational scope covers external debt management and debt service remittances, technical assistance flows in both directions, credit to friendly countries on lending/re-lending of foreign loans, and monitoring of aid utilization. EAD operates against a customer base consisting exclusively of the Government of Pakistan and its constituent federal and provincial units, with no commercial pricing model or revenue generation.

EAD coordinates a portfolio of bilateral and multilateral development partners, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, European Investment Bank, the European Union, and the OPEC Fund for International Development on the multilateral side, alongside bilateral relationships with Germany (including KfW), Japan (including JICA), France, Korea (including KOICA), Italy, Saudi Fund for Development, Kuwait Fund, Qatar Fund, Australia, and the United States (USAID). Recent deal activity includes a USD 700 million ADB Insurance Transformation Program, USD 603 million of Islamic Development Bank agreements, EUR 114 million Pakistan-Germany package, and EUR 100 million EIB climate resilience agreement. Underlying service delivery is non-commercial: products include a government information portal (ead.gov.pk), an NGOs registration portal, foreign training program facilitation, annual/quarterly/monthly publications, and the Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme. No proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capability, or commercial product line is present.

Name

Economic Affairs Division

Legal name

Ministry of Economic Affairs, Economic Affairs Division

Website

https://ead.gov.pk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Economic Affairs Division is the sole Pakistani federal entity mandated to negotiate and coordinate all external economic assistance and external debt management for the Government of Pakistan, working with multilateral lenders and bilateral donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Economic Affairs and Development Cooperation

NAICS

International Affairs (92812), Administration of Economic Programs (926)

SIC

Foreign Governments (8888)

akta.pro primary industry

Development Cooperation & Foreign Aid Administration (BPAIAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) & Trade Finance Institutions (BPADACAF)

Keywords

• Development cooperation
• External debt management
• Multilateral lending
• Bilateral negotiations
• Government economic affairs

Headquarters

HQ city

Islamabad

HQ country

Pakistan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Economic Affairs Division (EAD) is a division of Pakistan's Ministry of Economic Affairs that performs sovereign functions on behalf of the Government of Pakistan. It assesses requirements, programs, and negotiates external economic assistance from foreign governments and multilateral agencies; manages external debt service remittances; coordinates technical assistance programs; monitors aid utilization; and handles credit to friendly countries on lending/re-lending of foreign loans.

Product overview

The Economic Affairs Division operates a unified government information portal providing administrative services including foreign training facilitation, publications, NGO management, and the Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme. The portal serves as the official digital interface for Pakistan's Ministry of Economic Affairs, coordinating external economic assistance from foreign governments and multilateral agencies including the World Bank, ADB, and Islamic Development Bank.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• External Economic Assistance Coordination and Negotiation Sovereign service assessing requirements, programming, and negotiating external economic assistance from foreign governments and multilateral agencies on behalf of the Government of Pakistan.
• External Debt Management and Remittance Authorization Management of external debt obligations and authorization of remittances for external debt service on behalf of the Government of Pakistan.
• Foreign Training Programs Facilitation Facilitation of international training opportunities for Pakistani government officials and professionals through partnerships with Japan (JICA), Singapore, Korea (KOICA), China, Thailand, and other partner countries.
• NGO Registration and Management Portal Online portal hosted at ngo.ead.gov.pk for the registration and management of Non-Governmental Organizations operating in Pakistan.
• Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme (PTAP) Programme providing educational opportunities for foreign students in Pakistani professional institutions, including MBBS and BDS admissions for students of Pakistan origin.
• Publications and Economic Reports Official publications including Annual Reports, Quarterly/Half-Yearly Reports, Monthly Reports, Regional and Global Overview, Research Reports, and Yearbooks documenting the ministry's activities and economic developments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully negotiated €114 million development package with Germany for climate and economic growth initiatives
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2026Secretary EAD Muhammad Humair Karim held meeting with UNDP Resident Representative Dr. Samuel Rizk and Deputy Resident Representative Ms. Van Nguyen to discuss ongoing development cooperation and future collaboration priorities (June 2026). UNSDCF 2023-2027 signed with Government of Pakistan.
• QatarmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 20256th Session of Pakistan-Qatar Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) for Economic, Trade, and Technical Cooperation held in Islamabad on October 22-23, 2025 under the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation. Qatar Fund for Development engagement including March 2024 visit.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sri Lanka's Department of External Resources: Sri Lanka's Department of External Resources (formerly ERD) coordinates external concessional and commercial borrowing, manages relations with multilateral lenders, and handles foreign aid programming for the Government of Sri Lanka. It is a near-perfect functional peer for EAD, operating in a similarly aid-dependent South Asian economy.
• Bangladesh's Economic Relations Division (ERD): Bangladesh's ERD, also under the Ministry of Finance, is the single mandated coordinator of all foreign aid, concessional loans, and project financing for Bangladesh. It negotiates with the same multilateral partners (World Bank, ADB, IsDB, JICA) and handles external debt management — directly comparable to EAD's mandate and operational model.
• Egypt's Ministry of International Cooperation (MOIC): Egypt's MOIC is the dedicated ministry for negotiating and coordinating foreign development financing, multilateral partnerships, and concessional lending with partners including the World Bank, AfDB, EIB, and bilateral donors. Its single-window mandate for external economic cooperation is the most direct functional parallel to EAD among non-South Asian peers.
• India's Department of Economic Affairs: India's Department of Economic Affairs under the Ministry of Finance performs the same core function as Pakistan's EAD — coordinating external economic assistance, multilateral and bilateral borrowing, and sovereign debt management. It negotiates with the World Bank, ADB, AIIB, and bilateral partners, making it the most structurally comparable counterpart for EAD.
• Kenya's National Treasury (External Resources Department): Kenya's National Treasury External Resources Department coordinates all external concessional and non-concessional financing from multilateral and bilateral partners, including the World Bank, AfDB, and bilateral donors. Its mandate and operational model — external debt management plus aid programming — closely parallel EAD's functions.
• Vietnam's Ministry of Finance (International Cooperation Department): Vietnam's Ministry of Finance International Cooperation Department coordinates ODA, concessional financing from JICA, World Bank, ADB, and bilateral donors, and manages aspects of external debt policy. Its donor mix and functional mandate parallel EAD's operating model.
• Indonesia's Ministry of Finance (International Cooperation Directorate): Indonesia's Ministry of Finance oversees external financing cooperation, multilateral lending relationships, and sovereign debt management through its international cooperation functions. Although Indonesia is middle-income, the institutional architecture of centralized external finance coordination is directly comparable to EAD.
• Philippines' Department of Finance: The Philippines' Department of Finance manages the country's external debt portfolio, official development assistance negotiations, and bilateral/multilateral financing relationships. Its functional scope in coordinating ODA and sovereign external borrowing makes it a structural peer to EAD.
• Nepal's Ministry of Finance (International Economic Cooperation and Coordination Division): Nepal's Ministry of Finance coordinates foreign aid, multilateral and bilateral concessional financing, and external debt negotiations through its International Economic Cooperation and Coordination Division. The structural mandate and donor mix (World Bank, ADB, JICA, bilateral donors) closely mirror EAD's portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Türkiye's Treasury and Finance Ministry (External Affairs Directorate): Türkiye's Treasury and Finance Ministry handles sovereign external debt issuance, multilateral and bilateral financing relationships, and aid coordination as part of a broader macroeconomic mandate. While not a single-purpose aid coordination body, its external affairs directorate is functionally comparable to EAD's negotiating arm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eadgop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/economic-affairs-division

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Economic Affairs Division