KOICA to support rural development in Bardiya

Kathmandu, Sept. 10

Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA) have signed the Record of Discussion (RoD) for the 'Inclusive Rural Development Project in Bardiya District (IRDP)' on Tuesday at the MoFAGA.

The RoD was signed by Mooheon Kong, Country Director of KOICA, and Kali Prasad Parajuli, Joint Secretary of the MoFAGA. The Korean Government through KOICA has allocated US$ 8 million for the project. The implementing agencies for the project area will be eight municipalities of Bradiya district.

"The main objective of this project is to enhance the capacity of communities in Bardiya district for agricultural production, upgrade the value chain through integration of value additions by establishing market linkages and scaling up ecotourism initiatives, fostering sustainable and resilient livelihoods and the local economy," KOICA informed in a press statement.

Locally Initiated Projects (LIPs) will be formulated based on the absolute need of local communities, then the communities will be capacitated to implement the projects, it said. 

Speaking at the RoD signing programme, Parajuli stressed on the need to enhance the agricultural productivity to uplift communities at large especially in rural areas. He assured the full cooperation from the Government of Nepal for the successful implementation of this project. 

Likewise, Kong said that this project will be an opportunity to bring Korean knowledge and technology in rural development of Nepal. He recalled the successful implementation of similar project in Nawalparasi and assured that the project in Bardiya will achieve more as there will be a chance to review lessons learned from Nawalparasi.

The ceremony also commemorated the 50 years of diplomatic ties between Nepal and Korea. The Government of Korea has been supporting Nepal through KOICA in various areas of health, agriculture, education (technical), vocational training, rural development and IT since 1991. 

By 2023, total amount of KOICA's support surpassed US$ 200 million. This comprehensive assistance encompasses 45 Country Partnership Projects, 114 Civil Society Organization (CSO) Projects, Capacity Enhancement Programmes that have benefitted 2,211 participants and the World Friends Korea (WFK) programme, which has dispatched 3,236 volunteers and specialists to Nepal. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 11 September 2024.