Third edition of Digital Nepal Conclave concludes

KATHMANDU: The third edition of the Digital Nepal Conclave 2024, organized by ICT Foundation Nepal, concluded successfully last Friday at the Marriott Hotel in Kathmandu. The event saw the participation of key figures including the Minister of Communication and Information Technology, the Minister of Finance, the Prime Minister, and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Themed “Harmonizing Digitalization and Development,” the program featured five panel sessions and over ten presentations.

The conclave included discussions on Digital Public Infrastructure, Sustainable Telecommunications for Digital Transformation, Innovative Technologies for Development, Digital Empowerment and Inclusion, Digital Governance and Data for Development, and Digital Economy and Investment for Digital Nepal.

Separate power dialogue sessions were held with former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Minister of Communication and Information Technology Rekha Sharma. Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun addressed the digital economy and ICT in the new fiscal year’s budget.

In his inaugural speech, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ emphasized information technology as crucial for achieving social justice, good governance, and economic prosperity. “We are working to advance information technology as a carrier of the economy,” said Prime Minister Dahal. He announced the government’s goal to create 1.5 million jobs in the next 10 years and export worth 3 trillion rupees.

Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli criticized subsequent governments for not prioritizing transformative plans such as the Digital Nepal Framework and the Nagarik App, initiated during his tenure. He highlighted the need for policy consistency and support for startups and innovation.

Minister of Communication and Information Technology Rekha Sharma emphasized the collective effort of the government and private sector in advancing information technology. Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun identified information technology as a transformative sector capable of driving the economy, with corresponding programs included in the budget.

Himal Karmacharya, President of Leapfrog Technology Inc., delivered the keynote presentation on “Driving Digitalization and Development,” suggesting prioritizing local companies and focusing on mobile-centric services. Razan Lamsal, President of ICT Foundation, highlighted implementation challenges hindering the coordination between digitization and development.

Notable speakers included Sobita Gautam, Member of the House of Representatives; Dr. Ram Kumar Phuyal, Member of the National Planning Commission; Naru Lal Chaudhary, Mayor of Ghorahi Municipality; Jaoobor Kayumov, CEO of Ncell Axiata Limited; Hemraj Dhakal, Vice President of CNI; Dr. Biswas Gauchan, Executive Director of IIDS; Dr. Gunakar Bhatta, Spokesperson of Nepal Rastra Bank; Dileep Agrawal, Chairperson of WorldLink Communications; and Krishna Bahadur G.C., Former Minister of Karnali Province. Patrons included former minister Ganesh Shah, ICT expert Manohar Kumar Bhattarai, Prof. Dr. Subarna Shakya, Prof. Dr. Manish Pokharel, and Birendra Mishra.

Presentations on Digital Public Infrastructure were given by Under Secretary Subhash Dhakal and Neelesh Man Pradhan, CEO of Nepal Clearing House. Sneha Shah from The Asia Foundation and Dipesh Bista, CEO of E-Governance Commission, presented on Digital Governance.

Richan Shrestha, President of NAS-IT, presented on Digital Economy. Vishal Mani Upadhyay from Ncell and advocate Anup Uprety from Pioneer Law Associates discussed Sustainable Telecommunication and Policies for Digital Transformation.

The conclave also showcased over 20 digital initiatives, with presentations on projects such as GeoKrishi, Koili Financial Services, Odoo Enterprise Digital Health, Riri AI, Integrated Municipal System, Kacific Satellite, One Point API Management, Pumori NextGen, Nagarik App, UNDP’s E-Building Permit, One Stop Service Delivery, and Nizi Power by Yarsa.

The event, organized in association with Ncell and powered by The Asia Foundation, was supported by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Nepal Telecommunications Authority, Nepal Telecom, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), UNDP, Smarten Technology, Nabil Bank, Global IME Bank, eSewa, InfoDevelopers, Huawei, IME Pay, Broadway, Technorio, and Bitscraft. Over 600 representatives from federal, provincial, and local governments, stakeholders, experts, private institutions, entrepreneurs, and startups participated in the year’s major technology conference.