Nepal Development Conference

On 18th September, DMA hosted its first engagement with he Government of Nepal. Click here to view the event on demand, or on our YouTube chanel. 

Ahead of Nepal's National Day of Nepal on 21st September, this virtual conference provided timely insight into Nepal's sustainable development agenda, current and post-COVID-19 roadmap. 

The Lord Sheikh opened the virtual event, annoucing the formation of the UK-Nepal Trade and Investment Forum (UKNTIF) which was set up to stregnthen the 200-year strong relationship between the two countries, and further develop trade and investment opportunities. Specific areas for investment were noted in education, financial services, healthcare, hydropower, sustainable tourism and infrastrucutre. 

HE Durga Bahadur Subedi, Nepalese Ambassador to the UK, and HMA Nicola Pollitt further emphasised the range of opportunity for UK businesses in Nepal, alongside the country’s long period of political stability and deeper egaement with the private sector. Nepal demonstrated clear commitment to facilitating FDI and bilateral trade with both ambassadors outlining the support they could offer potential and existing investors. 

A key and recurrent component of Nepal's future was highlighted as green growth, a particular interest was the development of cleaner technologies.

We were thrilled to hear from Hon. Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Nepal, on Nepal's investment climate. Highlighting Nepal's recent economic and legal reforms, the Hon. Minister expalined how Nepal was an increasingly attractive business environment, that was both open to, and in need of financial support. 

Lord Bilimoria emphasised the historic and deep ties between the UK and Nepal, as well as the importance of investment in education and the enormous opportunities in studend engagement. Chandra Prasad Dhakal, Vice President, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), represented the view of the private sector, detailing why Nepal was a promising and engaging business environment. 

We were overwhelemed by the number of questions asked by our audience for the Q&A, covering a range of topics including sustainable tourism, education opportunities, UKEF risk appetite and what COVID-19 meant for future trade ties. We look forward to covering these topics further, in our next engagement with Nepal, which we hope to be a trade mission in 2021. 

We would like to thank all of our excellent speakers, for their time and enthusiasm for UK-Nepal relations.

EVENT PROGRAMME

11:00-11:10: Opening Remarks 

The Lord Sheikh, President, UK-Nepal Trade and Investment Forum
HE Dr. Durga Bahadur Subedi, Nepalese Ambassador to the UK
HMA Nicola Pollitt, UK Ambassador to Nepal 

11:10-11:20: Keynote Addresses

Hon. Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Nepal
Lord Bilimoria CBE DL, President, Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Vice Chairman, UK-Nepal Trade and Investment Forum

11:20-11:50: Current and Post-COVID Opportunities 

Chair: Atam Sandhu, Chief Executive, DMA, and Secretary General, UK-Nepal Trade and Investment Forum
Representative of the Government of Nepal
Chandra Prasad Dhakal, Vice President, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI)
Private Sector Speaker

11:45-11:55: Q&A Session

11:55-12:00: Closing Remarks

The Lord Sheikh, President, UK-Nepal Trade and Investment Forum
HE Dr. Durga Bahadur Subedi, Nepalese Ambassador to the UK