Nepal secures two awards at APICTA 2025 in Taiwan

• Kataho digital address system representing Nepal wins second runner-up in two categories

KATHMANDU: Nepal registered a strong presence at the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards 2025 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where the Kataho – Digital Address System won second runner‑up in two categories.

The awards ceremony, which saw competition from more than 250 projects across 16 member economies, recognised Kataho in both the Community Services, and Research and Development Project of the Year categories, showcasing Nepal’s startup ecosystem and technical innovation capability on an international stage.

Kataho is an innovative solution that digitises Nepal’s traditional addressing system. The system has been implemented in more than 15 local levels across the country and is fully operational in major areas of the capital, including Kathmandu Metropolitan City‑26 (Lainchaur).

Organisers said the technology, which provides simple and inclusive digital addresses, is easing government service delivery, e‑commerce, logistics and emergency services.

The team representing Nepal in Taiwan included innovators from Kataho Digital Address, Crimson Tech and Alpas Technology. Richan Shrestha, Dipen Chapagain and Narayan Koirala from Nepal served as international judges for APICTA, and Sonia Shrestha, coordinator from NAS‑IT, also participated.

The Kataho Digital Address System is developed by Addressgraph Nepal under the Nepali innovation organisation Ramlaxman Group. The project addresses long‑term problems in Nepal’s address management by providing a house‑number code for every property; municipalities can use the code to create addresses for houses in their local levels, while individuals can prepare house address plates free of charge.