Kathmandu, May 28
Thulo.Com, Swiss Agency for Development
and Cooperation (SDC) and the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) have come
together to support about 1,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in
Nepal to digitize their operations.
The projects will include at least 60
per cent women-owned businesses, they said in a joint statement.
"The partnership will help MSMEs
digitize payments, delivery, and post-sales services in rural areas in Nepal,
boosting their sales and helping them recover from the effects of the pandemic,"
said Surakchya Adhikari, co-founder and COO of the company.
Thulo.Com, will help MSMEs to aid from
the impacts of the recent pandemic and other disasters. The company will expand
operations beyond Kathmandu, focusing on MSMEs in rural and urban areas in
provinces 1, Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini.
MSMEs will enter new markets through the
Thulo marketplace, reaching online customers, and gaining digital literacy
training coupled with technical support and brand identity, and digital
marketing coaching.
Likewise, Swizz ambassador to Nepal,
Elisabeth Von Capeller, said that SDC aims to leverage the digital solutions
and support MSMEs to gain access to the markets and networks, digitize their
transactions, and eventually make way to access new sources of capital.
Similarly, UNCDF said that the project
will advance the inclusiveness of the country’s digital ecosystem by fostering
the digital transformation of MSMEs, which form the backbone of Nepal’s
economy.
"With this project, UNCDF hopes to
help Nepal become more inclusive and resilient to external shocks by
accelerating COVID-19 economic recovery,” said Maria Perdomo, Regional
Coordinator in Asia at UNCDF.
This UNCDF project on leveraging digital
solutions for MSMEs is embedded into UNCDF’s Leaving No One Behind in the
Digital Era Strategy for Nepal, launched in 2021. In addition to engaging with Thulo,
UNCDF will also be working with Nepal’s MSME federations and associations, as
well as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Business
Association of Home-Based Workers (SABAH) Nepal.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 29 May 2022.
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