KATHMANDU: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung has called for international support to help transform Nepal into an information technology hub, stressing the country’s potential as an ideal location for data centres and the urgent need to bridge the global digital divide.
Speaking to the press following his participation in four major international IT conferences held in Nepal, Japan, Switzerland, and China, Minister Gurung said the digital divide remains a serious global issue and one closely tied to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“No one should be left behind without access to the internet and information technology,” he said.
Highlighting Nepal’s geographical advantage, Gurung urged international investors to consider establishing data centres in the colder regions along the Mid-Hill Highway.
“These areas offer natural cooling conditions, which would reduce energy costs and make Nepal a competitive site for data storage infrastructure,” he said.
Gurung also shared that Nepal has launched a digital literacy campaign across 35,000 secondary schools and is seeking support from international organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to expand the initiative. “We are committed to ensuring that internet access is recognized as a fundamental right for every citizen,” he noted.
Addressing the ‘World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance’ held recently in Shanghai, Gurung echoed the concerns raised by Chinese Premier Li Qiang about the monopolisation of artificial intelligence by powerful countries. Such an imbalance, he said, threatens to deepen inequality and disrupt sustainable development worldwide.
He said Nepal is working to finalize its first-ever AI policy and complete related laws and regulations by the end of the current fiscal year. The Digital Nepal Framework, which prioritizes AI integration in agriculture, health, environment, tourism, and disaster management, will guide the country’s next phase of digital transformation.
Minister Gurung also underlined the importance of e-governance and the full implementation of the Government Integrated Office Management System (GIOMS), arguing that greater uniformity and connectivity across government levels would improve public service delivery and governance. “We must shed the habit of limiting ourselves to small goals. The digital transformation of government systems must be ambitious,” he said.
He emphasized that Nepal could learn from China’s development model, especially the role of a visionary government and stable bureaucracy in driving IT innovation and national prosperity. “We are far behind countries like China when it comes to digital development, but we must catch up,” Gurung admitted.
Nepal has also secured a satellite orbital slot aligned with its geographic coordinates, and the government is working to complete the necessary policy groundwork to deploy its own satellite systems.
Minister Gurung represented Nepal at several recent events: the 34th APT Wireless Group (AWP-34) in Kathmandu in March, the Asia-Pacific Telecommunication Ministerial Meeting (APT-MM 2025) in Tokyo in May, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) in Geneva in July, and the World AI Conference in Shanghai in late July.
He said Nepal’s presence was well-received internationally, and that it is now time for the country to act decisively to transform these engagements into tangible digital reforms at home.
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