KATHMANDU:- A concessional loan agreement has been signed between the Government of Nepal and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the implementation of the Digital Transformation Project.
The agreement for a 40 million US dollar concessional loan was signed by Finance Secretary Dr Ghanashyam Upadhyay and ADB Country Director for Nepal Arnaud Cauchois during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Finance today.
The project is the first in South Asia to be co-financed under the ADB-World Bank Mutual Reliance Framework, according to a press release issued by the Finance Ministry here today.
The project will strengthen the government’s data hosting and cybersecurity infrastructure to enhance the security and resilience of the government’s digital system. It will support key initiatives such as developing an integrated citizen service portal, improving the national social registry, establishing a secure government-wide data exchange platform for safe and efficient information sharing, and digitalising about 11 high-impact government services.
The reforms supported by ADB and the World Bank will make key services easier to access, reduce waiting times and administrative barriers, and enhance transparency in government processes, helping build greater trust between citizens and public institutions.
The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. It aligns with Nepal’s Digital Nepal Framework 2.0, Sixteenth National Plan, e-Governance Blueprint, and ADB’s country partnership strategy for Nepal, 2025–2029, which identifies digital transformation as a core crosscutting priority.
The World Bank will also provide USD 40 million as a concessional loan as the lead lender. The loan agreement has already been signed with the World Bank.
The project’s key programs include upgrading government digital platforms and shared services, strengthening cybersecurity preparedness, and developing institutional and human resource capacity to ensure the operation and sustainability of digital systems.RSS