Tahmina Rafat did not attend her graduation ceremony in person. Neither did any of her classmates. The first cohort of the Afghanistan Machine Learning Bootcamp graduated in March 2025 through a screen — because that is how the entire programme was delivered, from first lesson to final capstone project.

That is not a limitation. It is the point.

"FTL has empowered us with the tools and mindset to leverage technology for the greater good of our communities." — Tahmina Rafat, Bootcamp graduate, FTL Afghanistan, March 2025

450 applied. 41 graduated.

The Frontier Tech Leaders Programme received over 450 applications for its first Afghanistan cohort — selecting 95 participants, including 25 women, for a three-month online Machine Learning Bootcamp covering Python, machine learning, entrepreneurship and leadership. Forty-one completed it, developing 13 capstone projects aligned with the SDGs.

The projects tackled some of Afghanistan's most pressing challenges: disaster risk reduction, healthcare accessibility, and sustainable agriculture. Every project was built remotely, by people applying new skills to the country they know from the inside.

"This graduation ceremony marks not just the completion of training but the beginning of a journey. Our graduates are now part of a growing community of innovators, ready to apply their skills to tackle real-world challenges and contribute to Afghanistan's sustainable development." — Doel Mukerjee, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Afghanistan

What happens after the bootcamp

Many graduates have already started sharing what they learned. Through local community activities, alumni are building peer learning networks — quietly expanding the programme's reach beyond the original cohort without waiting for a formal second phase.

Fellow graduate Sultan Mansour Raofi put it simply: "The knowledge and skills we have acquired will empower us to create innovative solutions, drive technological advancements, and make a lasting impact in our community."

Proof of concept for the hardest markets

The Afghanistan implementation was delivered by ICPSD's SDG AI Lab with the UN Technology Bank and the support of the Government of Türkiye — the same partnership that now supports active implementations in Myanmar, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Angola and Liberia.

What Afghanistan demonstrates is something the other chapters reinforce: the programme does not require ideal conditions. It requires commitment, local ownership, and the recognition that the talent is already there.

ICPSD Director Sahba Sobhani: "FTL graduates are not just gaining skills — they are building tech ecosystems in their countries. We are proud to support Afghan youth in leveraging digital skills to transform industries and communities."

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