Over the past decade, Kosovo has often been labeled the technological hub of the Western Balkans, thanks to the rapid growth of its information and communication technology (ICT) sector, including artificial intelligence (AI). Attracting thousands of young professionals, this sector has led to the establishment of numerous local companies that now export technological services to international markets.
In 2023, 1,950 companies in Kosovo provided ICT services, a significant increase from the 930 companies that provided the service in 2020. The sector saw its most substantial growth in 2022, with over 700 new companies emerging, reflecting high interest and investment in the industry.
Young people aged 15 to 30 — who make up just over 23% of the population — view this sector as an attractive opportunity, not only for professional development but also for its economic advantages. According to the GAP institute, as of April 2024, 50% of programmers in Kosovo earned an average salary of over 1,000 euros — nearly twice the 2023 national average salary of 570 euros. This statistic highlights the sector’s potential to create well-paid jobs.
In 2023, ICT services made up 9.6% of Kosovo’s total service exports, making the sector one of the country’s leading exports and one of the few where exports exceed imports. Over the past decade, ICT service exports have surged from 59.8 million euros in 2013 to 284.2 million euros in 2023 — an increase of over 375%.
This progress is a result of workforce training and the integration of domestic companies into the global market. The sector continues to attract foreign investors, mainly due to Kosovo’s lower labor costs relative to regional and international markets.
The development of ICT and AI has been driven almost entirely by the private sector, with no institutional strategy to capitalize on its potential, such as increasing investment in the sector and teaching relevant skills in the education system. Professional training in ICT and AI is primarily offered by local digital companies and online platforms rather than public educational institutions.
Private companies have been the main driving force behind digital skills development in Kosovo. Over the past decade, they have provided numerous courses to train the ICT workforce, targeting everyone from young children to university students. Many of these training programs were initially designed to meet companies’ internal staffing needs, but their impact has extended across the labor market, helping to prepare a new generation of technology professionals in Kosovo.
Unlike initiatives led by the private sector in non-formal education, Kosovo’s formal education system lacks the means to equip students with the necessary skills for the digital age. This reality highlights an immense contradiction: despite nearly 96% of the population in Kosovo having internet access, public schools continue to lag behind in integrating technology into education.
According to data from the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), in 2021, out of a total of 1,058 public educational and training institutions in the country, only 705 — or 66.64% — had internet access. Even in schools that have access to the internet, the access is often restricted to administrative offices and, in rare cases, ICT laboratories.
More concerning is the lack of technological equipment in public schools. Across all public educational and training institutions in Kosovo, there is only one computer for every 35 students — or 9,138 computers for 320,000 students.
To fully harness Kosovo’s potential in AI and ICT, clear national policies to invest in these fields are needed at multiple levels. These include developing AI training programs, strengthening public school education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and enhancing cooperation between the private sector and universities. Training young people in these fields would help create a competitive labor market that can adapt to technological innovations.
Innovation appears in political parties’ election programs, but in most cases, it is merely a buzzword within broader promises related to technology. Innovation — understood as the process of finding new solutions to existing problems — is largely absent from these programs.
The private sector remains the main driver of technological development in Kosovo. Political parties, based on their election programs, lack clear plans for supporting this sector. The challenges faced by workers in this industry are entirely unaddressed.
For example, a persistent issue for local professionals working with international companies — especially freelancers and contractors from local firms — is the lack of efficient payment methods. Platforms such as PayPal still do not accept Kosovo, yet political parties offer no solutions or ideas on how to address this and other similar practical challenges.
K2.0 analyzed plans for AI and ICT from the four largest political entities: Vetëvendosje (VV), the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), which is running in coalition with the Social Democratic Initiative (NISMA).
VV
During its mandate, VV did not place particular focus on investing in or supporting the ICT sector, especially in terms of private sector development. A technology park was inaugurated, but it was a project initiated by previous governments. In October 2023, the Tech Park Prishtina was inaugurated in Bërnica — a 1.2 million euros investment through the Ministry of Economy.
This space was granted to the Kosovo Association of Information and Communication Technology (STIKK) for a five-year period to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the technology sector. The idea behind Tech Park Prishtina is to foster collaboration between the private sector, government, civil society and academia, creating improved training and employment opportunities in the technology industry.
Meanwhile, a VV initiative aimed to support the education of girls and women in STEM fields within Kosovo’s public higher education institutions. To this end, the government allocated scholarships of 1,000 euros for STEM students, seeking to encourage greater participation in these fields.
However, unlike in the last two general election campaigns, VV has published a less detailed election program this time. In the chapter “Innovation and Technology,” only two paragraphs are dedicated to the topic, mentioning the creation of a digital currency and support for the ICT industry. The latter focuses primarily on infrastructure, proposing the design and construction of an ICT Tower as a public investment in the center of Prishtina, to support companies that successfully generate employment.
Examples of dedicated spaces for young people interested in ICT and AI have long existed in the region, such as the Pyramid in Tirana. TUMO, an innovation center in Tirana, was relocated to the Pyramid and officially opened in 2020 by the Municipality of Tirana, in cooperation with the Albanian-American Development Foundation. TUMO now provides digital skills education for children aged 12 to 18, offering them opportunities to develop their competencies in the digital world.
However, VV’s election program does not address how a similar space in Prishtina would be utilized, raising more questions than answers and making the proposal appear as little more than an unstructured idea. It also remains unclear how the proposed ICT Tower would differ from Tech Park Prishtina, which was inaugurated in 2023.
The same applies to the vague promise of support for spaces and facilities in major cities, which follows the mention of the ICT Tower but lacks any clarification on the purpose or functionality of these buildings and spaces.
Beyond the proposed ICT Tower, VV’s election program completely overlooks local companies that do not require additional facilities. It also doesn’t consider existing centers across the country, particularly in Prishtina, which have already established themselves as key hubs for young professionals in this field. One such center is the Innovation Centre Kosovo (ICK). ICK has been active since 2012, serving as a training hub in these fields, an incubator for AI-based start-ups and a key link between young people and the labor market.
VV’s election program also does not mention the digitalization of educational institutions at all. In April 2023, Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced the allocation of an 18 million euro budget over a three-year period for the purchase of digital equipment for schools. The digitalization of education was identified as one of the five main objectives in the Education Strategy 2022-2026.
The strategy outlines several key directions, including the creation of a comprehensive and centralized digital platform for the education sector, development of digital teaching materials for all levels and provision of educational institutions with high-quality internet access and technological equipment. Additionally, it emphasizes the promotion of digital competence among all stakeholders in education and establishment of institutional mechanisms to ensure successful implementation of digitalization.
Some of these initiatives, such as the digitalization of schools, have yet to be fully implemented. Although the project began in 2023, the approved budget for 2025 shows that a significant portion of the financial resources allocated for school digitalization has been carried over from 2024.
PDK
PDK does not extensively address the ICT and AI sectors, although it promises AI integration in various fields, such as defense and public services. More specifically, it envisions the establishment of research and development centers whose operation is planned through collaboration between universities and companies.
PDK also promises the creation of a strategic framework to guide the development of these centers. According to PDK, these centers will foster cooperation between academia and the tech industry, with a strong emphasis on innovation in key areas such as AI.
PDK envisions research and development centers as technology incubators aimed at driving industrial growth and enhancing Kosovo’s global competitiveness. However, much of the planning remains vague. According to PDK, these centers will provide incentives for collaboration between universities and the private sector to steer research toward fields like AI.
The rest of the program addresses this topic in a largely superficial manner. While PDK mentions the integration of AI across various sectors, it does not provide further details on how this will be done. Additionally, the program does not include any support measures for the private sector, which serves as the foundation of innovation in this field. Nor does it propose a concrete investment plan to enhance Kosovo’s capacity to export services in the ICT and AI sectors.
Regarding the digitalization of the education system, PDK promises to provide laptops for students and teachers, integrate them with Microsoft Office 365, install smart boards in classrooms and implement a Learning Management System (LMS) in every school. Additionally, PDK’s plan includes the integration of AI and digital assistants to support adaptive learning and provide personalized education.
PDK does not outline a detailed timeline or budget for implementing these promises. The proposal to integrate AI and digital assistants appears ambitious, especially given that many schools still lack full internet access.
LDK
LDK has dedicated several sections of its election program for the ICT and AI sectors, ranging from the establishment of a Ministry of Technology and the introduction of new legal frameworks to integrating coding into the curriculum of primary schools.
According to LDK, the Ministry of Technology will focus on innovation and strategic development and invest in the growth of the ICT sector through workforce training, support for technology businesses and the creation of infrastructure for innovation.
LDK promises to allocate 80 million euros to fund the training of technology experts and young programmers, aiming to train 35,000 to 40,000 young people within a single government mandate. There is no clear strategy on how these trained individuals will be connected to the labor market. Additionally, LDK does not clarify its collaboration with the private sector, despite the fact that job training in this field is already widely conducted by private companies.
To support the growth of businesses in technology and foster innovation, LDK promises to establish a financial mechanism — to provide capital, loans and grants to start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the ICT sector — through a technology fund. According to LDK, this fund will also offer mentoring, technical assistance and business development support for companies with potential for growth and social impact. Additionally, LDK pledges to draft a law on angel investors to further support entrepreneurship and investment in technology.
For those who finance early-stage businesses, this law would provide tax incentives for investors, reducing risk and encouraging investment in the technology sector. According to LDK, universities, in collaboration with technology institutions, would evaluate project innovations and support the most promising start-ups. To streamline the process, LDK proposes the creation of an online portal where start-ups can register and connect directly with potential investors.
To further strengthen the technological ecosystem, LDK promises to build the largest technology park in the region, located in Prishtina, which would serve as a hub for technology companies and research institutions. However, it remains unclear how this promise aligns with LDK’s election program, given that a technology park already exists in Prishtina.
LDK plans to make coding a mandatory subject in primary schools. LDK has promised to invest 20 million euros to build digital infrastructure in all schools across Kosovo before implementing this change.
Regarding AI, LDK has pledged to establish a national program with an investment of 15 million euros. This program will oversee the implementation of several key policies: the development of a national AI strategy for Kosovo, establishment of a research center, promotion of AI adoption in both the public and private sectors, development of AI talent and ensuring ethical use of AI.
LDK has linked AI’s potential to the economy and improving citizens’ lives. Yet, the deeper aspects of this pledge are only briefly addressed. While the program frequently mentions that AI can benefit society by boosting economic growth and improving the quality of life, it lacks concrete explanations on how Kosovo’s economy would specifically benefit from such an initiative. It also does not outline the key sectors where AI could be applied to enhance citizens’ lives.
AAK
In the section of its election program dedicated to technology, AAK has proposed the creation of a campus that would include a high school and a major university. The program does not provide further details on how this initiative is envisioned or what specific challenges it aims to address.
Similarly, AAK has pledged to offer ongoing free training for all teachers, with a particular focus on STEM and other key fields.
What can we learn from these programs?
Political parties’ election programs give the impression that in this field, they aim to include as many ideas as possible to appeal to a broad range of social groups. Despite the variety of proposals, they fail to fully address existing problems.
The promises put forward range from relatively simple initiatives, like the construction of an ICT Tower, to more ambitious programs with numerous new initiatives and highly complex proposals, such as establishing a Ministry of Technology.
The promises made by some political parties regarding buildings suggest a lack of sufficient understanding of the real challenges in this field. Physical space is not the primary issue in a profession largely based on internet-based work, especially when private companies are already capable of providing the necessary facilities for their operations.
Another pledge offers specialized training for workers entering the private sector. However, without close collaboration with industry stakeholders, the pledge may create further uncertainties.
For example, the institutions that train workers in this field today are private companies, which develop personnel based on market demand and business needs. State-led training programs that are implemented without first identifying market demands and business needs risk producing a workforce that does not align with market demands.
At the same time, the public education system — from primary schools to public universities — has fallen significantly behind in this field and is becoming increasingly less attractive to students. Yet, political parties fail to present clear ideas on the role public education should play in developing the ICT and AI sectors.
Feature Image: Dina Hajrullahu / K2.0
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