Communication Minister Jagdish Kharel has shared that work is underway to develop Nepal as a digital highway. The revelation came during his interaction with the ICT Award 2025 winners at the ministry on Sunday, January 4, 2026.
He said that the current interim government is developing a roadmap for digital Nepal. “We are trying to move the country forward by creating a roadmap for Digital Nepal. Its future lies in the individuals and organizations that are creating and contributing to the latest innovations in the field of information technology,” the minister said.
What constitutes a ‘digital highway’ for Nepal?
For the unaware, the phrase digital highway is used figuratively, of course. It refers to a broad use of digital infrastructures such as telecom, fiber, AI, and other digital technologies that help data flow electronically and deliver faster and more efficient services. In more layman’s terms, it stresses the extensive dominance of technologies in daily life and vital services.
Digital Highway vs Information Highway
To eliminate confusion, digital highway and information highway refer to the same concept. It’s just that the former is a rather modern term. In essence, it’s about laying a wide-scale communication infrastructure that delivers services and connectivity across a large area for a huge number of people.
In Nepal, you would be more familiar with the information highway as it’s been a work in progress for a while.
Therefore, the idea of a digital highway closely aligns with the Digital Nepal Framework.
Kharel emphasizes the National AI Policy
During his meet-up with the ICT aspirants, Minister Kharel pointed out that the government has passed the National AI Policy. He also said that policy-level arrangements are underway for Digital Nepal.
ICT is a growing sector in Nepal, and the government has also been promoting the industry with more flexibility. Let’s recall that in 2022, Nepali IT professionals exported services worth Rs 67 billion. In the 2024 budget speech, the government announced a plan to export services worth Rs 3 trillion in the next decade. Such is the ambition of the government, owing to the huge potential of the growing industry in recent years.
But these ambitions should be met with broader governing policies, and the digital highway concept for Nepal is one of these.
Communication Minister Kharel assured that the Ministry of Communications would play a proactive role to act as a bridge to connect with the concerned ministries for the development of the information technology sector.
Also, check out: How Safe Is Your Data Online? Understanding Internet Privacy in Nepal
He mentioned that the budget for the development of information technology is not sufficient, and policy confusion, as well as laxity in the implementation of the policies, have prevented proper development and progress in this sector.
