Dublin: Information Technology (IT) entrepreneurs have called upon the Nepal government to learn from the progress made by India in the IT sector.
Addressing an interaction entitled ‘Nepal Beyond Borders: Diaspora Connect,’ in Dublin on Saturday, founder and CEO of the UK-based Value IT Consulting Company, Genese Solution, Anjani Phuyal, said the IT sector in India started to flourish in the mid-1990s and now they are world leaders. According to statista.com, an online portal, IT sector exports from India reached at about 178 billion U.S. billion dollars in the fiscal year 2022. The IT services dominated the export with 104 billion dollars.
A recent study conducted by IIDS, a Kathmandu-based think tank, estimated the IT service export industry in Nepal at approximately 515 million USD in 2022, representing an outstanding growth of 64.2% compared to 2021.
“As Indian talents are becoming more costly, Nepal has an opportunity to fill in the gap. Nepali professionals are working in top tech companies in the US and Europe. Now, we should aim to utilise their skills, experience, and network to promote Nepal as an emerging IT destination,” said Phuyal.
Phuyal said that in collaboration with companies like Amazon, Nepali academic institutions are producing world class graduates. “We now have graduates in cutting-edge subjects like cloud, data science, Generative AI and cyber security. We are now having an oversupply of our graduates. The challenge is to utilize their capacity within the country as well as globally.”
Phuyal, who is the first Nepali Amazon Web Services (AWS) ambassador, said that the first generation of Nepali immigrants were doing great despite challenges to integrate in their host society. Technology is an enabler and it can be leveraged in any field and sector, he added. Mr Phuyal, who is founder of Girls in Tech-Nepal is also the regional lead of Women in Big Data. “We are encouraging and attracting more female talent to the big data & analytics field and helping them connect, engage and grow,” he said.
President of NRNA Ireland chapter, Prakash Sapkota, said NRNA is working to bring Nepali professionals together and channelise their skills, expertise and resources for the development of Nepal. “We stand ready to support Nepali diaspora in whatever way possible.”
The event made an effort to foster a sense of unity and shared purpose among Nepali diaspora in Ireland. Professionals from diverse backgrounds gathered, engaged in conversations, making connections, and sharing experiences. They also shared their professional journeys and insights. Those attending the interaction included IT engineers, data scientists, PhD students, architects, accountants, students and NRNA Ireland office-bearers.
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