Kathmandu: The Finnish Ambassador to Nepal, H.E Petri Puhakka, has said Finland stands ready to support Nepal in its efforts of digitalization as well as in education and urban development sectors. While inaugurating the FinnoFest 2026, Nepal’s first-ever Finland-dedicated thematic event, hosted alongside the JunctionX Kathmandu Hackathon, on May 29, the Finnish ambassador said digitalization is a central part of sustainable development and economic growth in Finland. “It is one of the core objectives of Finland’s cooperation with Nepal,” he said, adding that Finland’s country programme in Nepal focuses on cooperation that is based on knowledge exchange and capacity-building. “We cooperate in many ways ranging from digital innovations to improvement of data-driven education systems,” he mentioned. “In Nepal, Finland places a lot of attention to digitalization in economic partnerships, education and urban development.”
He further said that successful digitalization should be built on user-friendly services, and trust between citizens and institutions in strong cooperation between government, private sector and academia. “For Finland, digitalization is no longer just about technological advancement. It is about rethinking how the public administration works, how services are created and delivered, and how people interact with the authorities,” he said.
Appreciating Nepal government’s action plan related to technical advancement, e-governance and digital development, the ambassador said “Finland stands ready to support Nepal’s digital journey through partnership. We hope to support the development of digital skills in Nepal.”
Stating that Finnish companies have long experience in education technology, and digital services, he laid emphasis on opportunities for business partnership and innovative collaboration between the two countries.
FinnoFest 2026 is a three-day event, supported by Embassy of Finland in Kathmandu under Team Finland, that brings together Finnish and Nepali innovators, institutions and initiatives to celebrate and strengthen collaboration across education, employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
