Internet Governance Institute, CAN Federation and Facebook launched a #BoostwithFacebook partnership on Friday to help support local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) during the current global health crisis. As part of the collaboration, which has the support of the Department of Information Technology, the Ministry of Information Technology, partners will also mentor SMEs and offer other support and tools. SMEs will also be able to host whitelisted content on partners’ websites. “CAN Federation is excited to contribute to SMEs, the backbone of the Nepali economy, in this difficult time, to help revive their business using digital tools and platforms”, said Mr. NawarajKunwar, President of CAN Federation. “Collaboration with Facebook, one of the significant platforms for business and IGI, the ICT Policy think tank in Nepal, with the support of the Department of Information Technology will significantly contribute to the rise and revival of SMEs in Nepal.”
As part of this collaboration, partners will host their first capacity building program on July 3, 2020. This will kick start training for at least 10,000 SMEs and Nepali youth on digital best practices to help boost their business. “Boost with Facebook is aimed at strengthening businesses by equipping them with digital tools, knowledge, and skills to help build a strong community that can thrive together, despite the current economic challenges”, said Shelly Thakral, Head of Policy Programs for India, South and Central Asia at Facebook. “Boost with Facebook gives small and medium businesses the tools that they need to tell their stories and build real connections with their audience,” Thakral added. “The Government of Nepal has been always supportive of the multi-stakeholder collaboration to support SMEs in Nepal. In line with this philosophy, the Digital Nepal Framework, one of the key programs of the government, has also emphasized government-public-private partnership. I believe this collaboration will significantly contribute towards #boosting the Nepali economy”, said Mr. PremSharan Shrestha, the Director-General of Department of Information Technology (DoIT).
