ITU and Nepal's Telecommunications Authority ran a 2025 multi-city programme for girls 12–24 — a Kathmandu Valley launch, coding challenges in Butwal and Dhangadi, and an inclusive ICT workshop for girls with disabilities — covering AI, cybersecurity and data analytics.
7.88 %
Women in Nepal's ICT company workforce (baseline cited by ITU)
Details
Maturity
Pilot
Promoter
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) & Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA)
Period
May–July 2025
Keywords
AI literacy, cybersecurity, digital skills, gender equality, accessibility
Context
On 23 May 2025, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) launched Nepal's first Girls in ICT Day programme in Lalitpur, aimed at girls and women aged 12-24, with a stated focus on disadvantaged communities, remote regions and people with disabilities. ITU cites a baseline in which women make up only 7.88% of Nepal's ICT company workforce.
Objectives
The programme sought to expose girls and young women to AI, coding and cybersecurity skills and to connect them with women working in STEM, through keynotes, panels and interactive workshops, in support of closing Nepal's gender gap in the ICT workforce.
Activities
Through the year, the programme ran hands-on training: a one-day coding challenge in Butwal (2 July 2025) and Dhangadi (3 July 2025) for participants aged 18-24, an inclusive ICT workshop for girls with disabilities in Kathmandu and Pokhara (10 July 2025), and a 'Skills Building in Emerging Technologies' track in Surkhet and Itahari (23-25 July 2025) covering AI, machine learning, cybersecurity, data analytics and assistive technologies.
Conclusions
Coverage documents participation, locations and skills content in detail, but neither ITU nor Nepali press report pre/post skills assessments, completion rates or downstream employment outcomes for participants -- the evidence is programmatic and descriptive rather than outcome-evaluated.
Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k)
Time to results
Short (< 1 year)
Staffing & skills
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA)
Conditions for success
Multi-city delivery reaching Kathmandu Valley, Butwal, Dhangadi, Pokhara, Surkhet and Itahari
Explicit targeting of disadvantaged communities, remote regions and people with disabilities
Partnership between an international body (ITU) and the national telecoms regulator (NTA)
Common failure modes
No pre/post skills assessment reported
No completion rates or downstream employment outcomes tracked
Commonly funded by
National / regional programmes
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Data sources
Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.
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