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Kathmandu / The two-day “Huawei Digital Nepal Conclave 2022” in Association with InfoDevelopers and Connected by Ncell have been successfully concluded.
The two conclave was organized with the
goal of assisting Nepal's digital transformation. The event was attended by 60
speakers from five countries associated with the ICT sector and presented
dialogue sessions on 10 different topics and 17 working papers.
The first talk on 'Digital
Infrastructure and Connectivity' was held at the event. Binay Bohra, MD of
Vianet Communications, presented a paper titled "Digital Infrastructure
and Connectivity: Assessing the Current State of Digital Nepal" during the
discussion session. The
panel included Sanjeev Raj Bhandari, CEO of Mercantile Communications, Andy
Chong, CEO of Ncell, Sudip Acharya, CEO of DishHome Fibernet, and Surendra Lal
Hada, Director of Nepal Telecommunication Authority.
The speakers in the dialogue session
discussed the ICT sector's infrastructure development, as well as the lack of
coordination among agencies in terms of sharing and policy issues. They also
expressed dissatisfaction with the high cost of doing business in rural areas,
as well as the lack of incentives. It was suggested that infrastructure
development and expansion be accelerated by prioritizing connectivity with
high-quality infrastructure during the discussion session. They also suggested
that costs be reduced by offering different incentives to companies that
relocate to rural areas.
Dr. Suresh Pokhrel, the IT director of
the Presidential Business School, presented a working paper on 'Digital Skills,
Talent Pool, and Digital Workforce for Digital Nepal' during the second
dialogue session. In the working paper, it was discovered that there was a mismatch
in terms of number and capacity between the manpower produced by educational
institutions and the demand of industry. It was also mentioned that the problem
has gotten worse as a result of the digital divide, which has resulted in a
disparity in opportunities. The working paper also suggested that the
government, ICT companies, and universities could collaborate to create a
talent pool to address the skilled labor shortage and create a more balanced
workforce environment by improving outsourcing policy arrangements.
Likewise, three working papers by Sajana
Maharjan Amatya, Program Director of Data for Development and Asia Foundation,
Prasanna Dhungel, CEO of GrowByData, and Selina Dangol, IT Director at the
Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, were presented during
the third dialogue, 'Data Gaps: Bringing the Data Into the Center Stage.' The
dialogue included former Director General of the Department of Information
Technology Birendra Kumar Mishra and former Finance Minister Surendra Pandey.
The main problem in Nepal, according to
the speakers at the dialogue session, is a lack of data framework and data
quality. Lack of data literacy, according to speakers, is posing a threat to
data security and privacy. According to the speakers, the goal of data export
should be to turn the country into a data drive. Similarly, a discussion on
'Foundation for the Digital Economy and Investment Opportunity' was held during
the fourth dialogue session. Sushil Bhatt, CEO of Nepal Investment Board, Bidhyabaridhi
Sigdel, CEO of Dolma Impact Fund, Sanjay Golchha, MD of CEO Neoteric Nepal,
Siddhant Raj Pandey, CEO of Business Oxygen and Karvika Thapa, CEO of Kimbu
Tech were all in attendance at the session.
The private sector could not be
attracted, according to the speakers, because the government could not lead
investment in the ICT sector. They also claimed that foreign investment could
not be attracted because there was a lack of reliable data on the ICT sector's
productivity. The fifth dialogue on 'Emerging Tech and Innovation for Digital
Transformation' was held on the second day of the Conclave. Speakers at the
dialogue said that, despite the fact that the emerging technology-oriented
economy has a strong domestic workforce, there is a sustainability issue due to
intellectual exodus.
The government, according to the
speakers at the dialogue, needs to create a framework with a long-term plan to
keep skilled manpower in emerging technologies. Dr. Suresh Manandhar, AI
Faculty President of Madan Bhandari University of Science and Technology
Development Board, Ncell's CTEO Adil Israr, AI researcher Dr. Dovan Rai, Binay
Raut, CEO of Paaila Technology, and Dean of Kathmandu University School of
Engineering Prof. Dr. Manish Pokharel were in attendance during the discussion
session. Also, Ken Ehrhart, the Founder and CEO of Paracoma Inc, presented a
paper titled "The Emerging Technology Landscape and Digital Nepal" at
the session.
Likewise, the sixth dialogue session was
held on the topic of "Fostering Digital Entrepreneurship and Champions for
Digital Nepal." Dr. Ram Kumar Phuyal, member of the National Planning
Commission, Manoj Ghimire, CEO and Co-Founder of Rara Labs, Sixit Bhatta, CEO
and Co-Founder of Tootle and Mallika Bhattarai, COO of Nepal PayTime, were all
present at the session.
Despite the growth of digital
entrepreneurship, the speakers in the session stated that competitiveness has
not increased. According to them, new startups tend to follow larger companies
rather than innovations. They also advocated for the market to concentrate on
creating its own market by raising prices. The speakers also suggested that the
government's policy on technology entrepreneurship and innovation should work
together. They believes that problems should be identified and solved through
research and development in the field of startups.
Discussions on 'Strengthening Trust
Security and Privacy Regime for Digital Ecosystem' were held during the 7th
Dialogue Session. The session was attended by Anil Kumar Dutta, Joint
Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Prof. Dr.
Subarna Shakya, Director, IT Innovation Center, Tribhuvan University, Vishal Mani
Upadhyay, CIO of Ncell, Prabin Subedi, Advocate, Paramount Legal Advisory
Services, and Narendra Mainali, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of
NIC Asia Bank.
Narayan Koirala, MD of Eminence Ways,
presented the working paper at the session. Speakers said that unless data
security and confidentiality are guaranteed, trust in the digital world will
not be established, and digital transformation will not be possible. Although
the Personal Privacy Protection Act contains some provisions, the speakers
warned that because information is scattered, it could be misused. To avoid
such risks, the speakers suggested that the National Cyber Security Act be
implemented quickly.
As the Conclave's eighth dialogue, the
speakers discussed the topic of "Digital Finnovation and Beyond for
Digital Society." Guruprasad Poudel, Executive Director of Rashtra Bank's
Payment Services Department, Nilesh Man Singh, CEO of NCHL, Nora Asha Gurung,
Product Director of Machnet Technologies Inc., and Subhash Sapkota, CEO of
eSewa attended the discussion session.
NCHL CEO Nilesh Man Singh and Nabil Bank
Limited CEO Anil Keshari Shah presented working papers on the state and
development of the financial technology sector during the session. According to
the speakers, changing one's mindset is more difficult than developing
technology in the field of finance technology. They also suggested that because
so many digital payments are made outside of the formal system, they should be
included. The speakers stated that finnovation should be linked to digital
commerce, and that policies and laws should be updated in tandem with
innovation.
Three working papers on 'Unleashing the
Potentials for Building Digital Dealership to Strengthen Governance' were
presented during the program's ninth dialogue session. Nagesh Badu, Ministry of
Federal Affairs and General Administration's IT and eGovernance Specialist,
Vivek Samsher Rana, Digital Enterprise Architect, and Anil Kumar Dutta, Joint
Secretary of the Ministry of Communications, presented the working paper.
According to the speakers, digital services can only be effective if leaders
are technically prepared and human and financial resources are managed
effectively.
They claimed that, while Nepal is moving
toward digital transformation, it has only reached the stage of digital
interaction and business and has not yet reached the stage of transformation.
They also claimed that the government's digital working system was duplicative
and that uniformity in standards was required. On the basis of cost service and
implementation, they suggested that there should be conceptual clarity in
digitization.
Finally, the program's final dialogue
session focused on 'Paving Ways for Digital Transformation in Nepal: Key Action
Points.' Arjun Prasad Pokhrel, Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and
Supplies; Kewal Prasad Bhandari, Member Secretary of National Planning
Commission; Baikuntha Prasad Aryal, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Education
Science and Technology Communications, Dipesh Bista, IT Advisor to the Prime
Minister; and Vishnu Kumar Agrawal, President of Confederation of Nepalese
Industries (CNI) were present at the session.
The session's participants emphasized
the importance of collaboration in the transformation of Digital Nepal. They
stated that the government and the private sector could not achieve digital
transformation on their own, and that all parties needed to work together.
Speakers from the private and public sectors agreed that there is a lot of
potential for the IT industry to grow if IT parks can be built quickly and tax
incentives for IT companies can be arranged, similar to what is done in India.
They also expressed gratitude to the government for lowering the Rs 50 million
minimum foreign direct investment cap, and stated that there should be no
investment threshold for the IT sector.
