UNIDO ITPO Tokyo, jointly with the Investment Board Nepal and the Embassy of Nepal in Japan, organized Nepal Investment Seminar online on 4 March 2022.

Followed by the Opening and Welcome Remarks by organizers, Ms. Pragya Adhikari of Investment Board Nepal (IBN) made a presentation on investment climate and business opportunities of Nepal. Ms. Adhikari mentioned that the country, strategically located between China and India, offers comparative advantages such as 100% foreign ownership in almost all sectors, land ownership in company’s name and 100% repatriation of profits. She referred to the investment opportunities in sectors including energy, transportation, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, ICT, health, mines/minerals, education and banking/finance, and further introduced infrastructure projects that are open for foreign investors.

Mr. Mikio Tamada who stayed in Nepal from 2017 to 2019 as JICA Expert/Foreign Investment Advisor to IBN  reported that life in Nepal is slowly getting back to normal after the COVIT pandemic.  Mr. Tamada emphasized that the country has advantages such as large working population at of younger generation, 1.8 billion export market within SAARC, and various incentives including Special Economic Zones, bonded warehouses and competitive tax rate. He also mentioned that infrastructure, IT, construction, tourism, energy and education are potential sectors for investment, and further introduced the activities of Japanese companies in Nepal.

The audience questioned about potentials of hydropower projects in Nepal. Questions regarding repatriation from Nepal as well as CIF taxation were also raised. In the closing statement, Mr. Sushil Bhatta, CEO of IBN mentioned that IBN has approved 30 projects equivalent of USD8.4 billion in the past 10 years since its establishment, and targets at least USD 6 billion of PPP projects by 2026. Mr. Bhatta concluded by expressing his hope to continue investment promotion activities with the relevant organizations to accelerate the flow of Japanese investments in Nepal.

概　要

Outline:

Date:          4 March 2022 (Fri)
Time:         15:15-16:15 (JST) / 12:00-13:00 (NPT)
Format:      Online seminar  ※Live stream on zoom   
Organized by:   UNIDO ITPO Tokyo, Investment Board Nepal (IBN), Embassy of Nepal in Japan
Language:  English-Japanese with simultaneous translation

*IBN presentation slides and video can be downloaded by clicking the title below in blue. 

Programme

15:15-15:20   Opening Remarks by Mr. Yuko Yasunaga, Head of UNIDO ITPO Tokyo 
15:20-15:25   Welcome Remarks by Mr. Ambika Joshi, Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of Nepal in Japan
15:25-15:40   Presentation:  “Investment Opportunities in Nepal” (Video)
                      by Ms. Pragya Adhikari, Project Development & Management Consultant, IBN
15:40-15:55   Presentation:  “Current Business Outlook and Activities of Japanese Companies in Nepal”
                      by Mr. Mikio Tamada, Former Expert on Foreign Investment from JICA to IBN
15:55-16:10   Q&A Session
16:10-16:15   Closing Remarks by Mr. Sushil Bhatta, CEO, IBN