Kaski. Pokhara—The much-awaited ‘Digital Gandaki Dialogue’ is going to be held in the tourism city of Pokhara, Kaski with the objective of strengthening technical debate and policy-level advocacy across the country.

The dialogue is being jointly organized by the Federation of Computer Association Nepal (CAN Federation), Gandaki Province and Kaski District Chapter of CAN Federation.

The event will be attended by leading technology experts, policy makers, government representatives and industry stakeholders to discuss current ICT issues. A practical roadmap will be prepared for the state’s technology ecosystem.

The ideological blueprint of the transformational campaign has been developed under the strategic leadership of technology industry leader and Central President of CAN Federation Chiranjibi Adhikari.

Nepal’s information technology industry is gaining new momentum. It has established digital transformation as one of the country’s major national agendas, not just a regional debate. Leaders in the technology sector believe that it is imperative to build digital infrastructure according to local needs to achieve sustainable economic development in the federal structure.

CAN Federation Gandaki Province President Gunanidhi Pandey said that the concept of ‘Digital Gandaki’ would prove to be a backbone for the overall development of the region.

According to Pandey, Gandaki Province will be developed as the leading digital hub of Nepal by linking provincial socio-economic goals with modern technology system.

This year’s Dialogue will focus mainly on three strategic agendas that could give a new direction to the Nepali technology sector.

The dialogue will provide detailed analysis on budget allocation for the coming fiscal year and how it incorporates the goals of national digital transformation. Stakeholders will debate policy priorities, financial incentives for IT startups, and strategic plans needed to transform traditional public services into citizen-friendly digital mediums.

In the context of data protection and AI’s governance becoming increasingly sensitive, the event will discuss Nepal’s framework of Sovereign AI (Artificial Intelligence with Digital Sovereignty). The experts will deliberate on ways to achieve digital self-reliance by protecting national data, developing local AI models based on Nepali language and culture, and reducing dependence on external technological infrastructure.

Collaboration between the government and private sector is essential for the larger development of the digital ecosystem. The forum will evaluate favourable public-private partnership models for the technology sector. A strategy will be prepared to rapidly expand high-speed internet, data center and digital literacy campaigns throughout Gandaki Province through the collaboration between the local level, provincial government and private technology companies.