Govt to make advertising sector transparent and systemic, says Communication Minister

KATHMANDU: Minister for Information and Communication Dr Bikram Timilsina has stressed the need for collaboration between the government and private sector to make the advertising sector clean and transparent, and bring it fully within the regulatory framework.

Speaking at a discussion with representatives of the Advertising Association of Nepal at the ministry on Monday, he said the government has prioritised effective implementation of existing legislation to make the advertising sector systematic. He said, "All sides should be responsible for preventing misuse of the advertising sector. Making it clean, healthy and transparent is everyone's shared responsibility. The private sector should also play its role effectively to prevent wrong practices and misuse."

Dr Timilsina pointed to past irregularities in the government advertising distribution system and said the current government has begun work to improve it. He said the government has introduced the National Advertising Policy 2083 to move the sector forward with new energy and to make it systematic and profitable, and added, "The government will take necessary steps to further strengthen the regulatory capacity of the Association."

He stressed that continuous coordination and collaboration between the government and the private sector is necessary, and said professionalism, compliance with the law and responsibility should be the foundation of the advertising sector. He said, "The advertising market has also been affected due to the weaknesses of the media sector," and added that reform of the media sector will be carried out in a planned and phase‑wise manner.

During the discussion, Advertising Association chair Sudip Thapa said the challenge is not that Nepal's advertising market is small, but that there is insufficient investment. He said healthy competition and long‑term investment are necessary to expand the market.

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