MEDEP to be enforced as MEDPA from August

Kathmandu, July 18: One of the most successful entrepreneurship development initiatives of the government, the Micro-Enterprise Development Programme (MEDEP), is being implemented as the Micro-Enterprise Development for Poverty Alleviation (MEDPA) from coming August.

The programme running for two decades is executed in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Australian Government with the aim of poverty alleviation through enterprise development and job creation in the villages.

MEDEP has created more than 131,000 entrepreneurs of which 74 per cent are women, more than 26 per cent Dalits, 38 per cent ethnic people and about 70 per cent youth.

The programme has supported 36,000 micro-enterprises to graduate to small enterprises and created more than 172,000 employments.

It has also created 741 community facility centres (CFCs) and supported 15,000 ultra-poor people.

The flagship programme of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS) was implemented in 11 districts for the first time in 1998-2003, and is expanded to 38 districts in its phase 4 programme 2013-2018.

With the MEDEP converting to the MEDPA, the programme will be expanded to all 77 districts across the country. The MEDEP that created some internationally acclaimed micro-entrepreneurs like Kesha Pariyar will exit on 31 July.

Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supply Matrika Yadav appreciated the programme for its contribution in enterprise development, job creation, livelihood support and resource mobilisation at the local level.

“All provinces and local governments should be active in executing this programme. The federal government will coordinate and facilitate them whenever and wherever necessary,” he said while speaking at a national seminar on ‘Micro-enterprise for economic prosperity’ organised by the MoICS on Wednesday here.

Secretary at the ministry Yam Kumari Khatiwada said that Nepal was able to create a successful mode of micro-enterprise development, therefore, it has internalise the MEDEP and is executing MEDPA in all 77 districts.

The government has allocated Rs. 1.9 billion for micro-enterprise development for the current fiscal year 2018/19.

Australian Ambassador to Nepal Peter Budd expressed happiness on government’s internalisation of MEDEP and said that the programme will make an important contribution to poverty alleviation in the country.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 19 July 2018.