- Nepal's Gen Z is reshaping perspectives on youth migration abroad as an opportunity
- Nepalese expats united to aid citizens during recent flash floods and crises
- Young Nepalese seek growth, education, and economic opportunities abroad
A major section of Nepal's population is moving abroad for better opportunities, but the situation could be a positive instead of a brain drain for the country, policymakers and entrepreneurs said at NDTV's Anviksha event.
A day-long dialogue launched by NDTV World, Anviksha held a panel discussion on “Building New Nepal: Brain Drain To Brain Gain: How Gen Z Can Lead The Next Growth Decade.”
Manish Jha, a member of Nepal's Parliament, said that the nation's Gen-Z had energy and a “new way of working” and was “trying to restructure a lot of things”. He said that there was a need to change the way of thinking that Nepalese youth going abroad for jobs was a “drain” instead of a positive aspect.
He cited the recent flash floods in Nepal as an example where the country's people came together to help citizens.
Gen-Z Looking For Growth, Opportunities
Darshana Shrestha, the President of Nature Nepal and non-profit Federation of Woman Entrepreneurs' Associations of Nepal (FWEAN), explained the rationale behind many young Nepalese going abroad.
Speaking about the country's Gen-Z population, Shrestha added, “They have high aspirations. They look for growth. They look for their careers. They look for economic opportunities, and if they don't find it, they seek support from other countries to study there to get better education and get better opportunities.”
Aayushi KC, the founder of waste management firm Khaalisisi, said that these frustrations were common in the Global South, and not Nepal-specific. She also hailed the country's youth, stating that they were at the forefront to help when any crisis arrives, be it the 2015 earthquake or the recent flash floods.
‘Need To Build Trust In Country And Government'
Jha highlighted that Nepalese people have started returning to their country, but there is a need to build a better institutionalisation process so that the skills of the returnees could be utilised better.
“We are a very old country but we are a very new state. So we need to have a process strategy and culture to build a new institutionalisation process and better state to build more confidence on the population side,” he added.
He said that there was a need to create more economic opportunities, such as in tourism, as well as a more facilitating environment by the government.
