Albania's technology sector exports €222mn of products annually, three times the level of several years ago, Prime Minister Edi Rama said, setting a target of reaching €1bn by 2030.

The sector employs 28,500 technology professionals, with about 70% under the age of 35, Rama said at an innovation forum. Technology now accounts for 2.2% of Albania's gross national product, he added.

"Our objective for technology exports is to reach €1bn within this decade, 2030. It is possible and for this reason we will continue to strengthen support for start-ups," Rama said.

The government has doubled funding for start-ups this year following a sharp rise in applications and plans to increase it further if demand continues, he said.

Rama said Albania also needed to close a significant gap in business use of digital technology. Only 24% of businesses trade online and 9% use artificial intelligence, despite more than 90% of citizens having online access.

The government plans a national artificial intelligence training programme, mandatory for public administration, and pilots involving state institutions and private companies in tourism, agriculture, healthcare and finance.

Rama also called for a public cloud infrastructure and national computing capacity, alongside open-data standards.

Albania's e-Albania platform has 3.4mn registered citizens and businesses, while applications have increased by more than 40% over the past two years, he said.