Just a year ago, Nay Chi Moe Oo was finishing her university degree. Today, she stood at the front of a conference hall in Yangon and told her cohort what she believes: that those who have been given access to education and opportunity have a responsibility to give back — to mentor, and to empower the next generation.

"This experience has shaped my career direction by preparing me to use AI and data-driven approaches to address real-world problems. As individuals who have had access to education and opportunities, we have a responsibility to give back — to mentor, and to empower the next generation." — Nay Chi Moe Oo, Bootcamp graduate, Myanmar ML Bootcamp, March 2026

1,170 applied, 60 graduated

One in four young people in Myanmar is unemployed, while the majority of those aged 18 to 24 are out of education or training. In rural areas, the numbers are more severe. It is against that backdrop that the Frontier Tech Leaders Programme received 1,170 applications for its first Myanmar cohort — targeting senior university students and recent graduates looking to build practical, future-ready skills.

Sixty completed the three-month Machine Learning Bootcamp, with a 50 percent gender balance. Graduates left with internationally recognized certifications from Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania, Amazon Web Services and more. A further 220 young people across Yangon, Mandalay and Sagaing were trained in Advanced Python, Generative AI, Large Language Models and Cybersecurity.

"The Programme provided participants with access to world-class training and certifications, and has engaged young people through community events, particularly those affected by the recent earthquake." — Norimasa Shimomura, UNDP Resident Representative, Myanmar

From bootcamp to farmer's field

The cohort did not just study but built. Thirteen capstone projects applied machine learning to real development challenges: reducing traffic fatalities, early warning for snakebite risk, and tools for climate-resilient agriculture. A parallel Climate Resilient Agriculture Hackathon then challenged participants to go further by bringing 85 participants across 19 teams into direct contact with farming communities before they wrote a single line of code.

Among the winning ideas were applications providing targeted guidance on climate-resilient crops, including specialized support for mushroom cultivation, as well as more comprehensive AI tools integrating weather forecasts, market data, and information on crop and livestock diseases into a single, accessible platform. 

The winning teams are now receiving continued support through incubation and mentoring to go from theory to practice. The long-term ambition is to integrate one of these AI applications into ENCORE, a UNDP Myanmar initiative that supports rural communities in recovering from crises and building climate resilience, bringing real-time, actionable insights directly to farmers.

A model designed to travel

The Myanmar implementation was delivered by ICPSD's SDG AI Lab with the UN Technology Bank and the support of the Government of Türkiye. It now joins active implementations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Angola and Liberia, each tailored to a unique operating context.

"Beyond the Bootcamp, the Programme will provide specialized training for earthquake-affected youth to help restore opportunities through frontier technologies." — Sahba Sobhani, Director, UNDP ICPSD

The Frontier Tech Leaders Programme is already active across LDCs and is available to country offices seeking to build national AI and digital skills capacity. To explore what an implementation could look like in your context, reach out to ICPSD's SDG AI Lab: icpsd@undp.org