Investment Summit to draw gobal investors and experts

Kathmandu, Mar. 4:

The Nepal Investment Summit 2019 is set to witness the presence of the leaders from the multilateral donor organisations, government agencies and globally acclaimed companies in energy, infrastructure, agriculture, information technology, banking and FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) who will guide and inspire the potential domestic as well as foreign investors.

The summit, which is slated for March 29 and 30, will bring together many successful stories from around the world. Group Executive Chairman of the Meinhardt Group Shahzad Nasim and Vice-President of the World Bank Hartwig Schafer will address the inaugural session. Meinhardt is the developer of many world renowned projects such as Vijayawada Airport in India, Aladdin City in Dubai, Waterfront City in Melbourne, Fusionopolis and Biopolis in Singapore, and dozens of skyscrapers in Asia and Africa. 

According to the Investment Board of Nepal (IBN), Revenue Secretary Lal Shankar Ghimire and former President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry Suraj Vaidya will give a detailed presentation on improved business climate in Nepal with a focus on recent policy reforms undertaken by the government and showcasing of potential projects for studies and development.

The IBN is the key implementing agency of the summit. The government is organizing the third event of this king in the country, the previous one was held in 2017 which generated huge interest from the domestic as well as foreign investors.

However, a small portion of the investment intent expressed by the foreign investors during the Investment Summit 2017 has been materialised. The IBN said that the last summit helped to create a positive momentum among the potential foreign investors and the upcoming summit is a commitment to attract and encourage investment.

There will be six parallel sessions on energy, information and communication technology (ICT), tourism, industry, infrastructure, and agro and forest-based products.

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barshaman Pun 'Ananta', General Manger of Power China Song Dongsheng and Central Electricity Regulatory Commission of India Sanoj Kumar Jha will deliberate on energy sector and Nepal's plan to generate 15,000 megawatt electricity to meet the demand and support economic transformation.

Similarly, Managing Director for Bangladesh, Nepal Bhutan and Laos at Microsoft Asia Pacific Sonia Bashir Kabir, General Manager of Sumitomo (one of the largest Japanese business group)'s Mobile Solution Business Department Masahiro Miyashita, and Head of Business Development of Amazon Internet Services for Rest of India and SAARC Chandra Balani will talk on ICT and its potential.

Chief Executive Officer of Silver Heritage Group, which operates Tiger Palace Resort in Nepal, Mike Bolsover and Associate Professor in International integrated resort management at the University of Macau Glenn McCartney will discuss on developing destinations for recreation and pilgrimage.

Likewise, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Matrika Prasad Yadav, President of Huaxin Cement, which is establishing Huaxin Narayani Cement in Nepal, Xu Gang and Founding Chairman of Varun Beverages Limited, producer of Pepsi in Nepal, Ravi Kant Jaipuria are going to discuss on industrial development and creating employment.

Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth, Vice-President of China Railway International Group Wang Lijie and Lead Transport Specialist (Waterways) at the World Bank Arnab Bandyopadhyay will find ways to build sustainable transport infrastructure while in another session, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Chakra Pani Khanal 'Baldev' and CEO of Hester Bioscience Limited Rajiv Gandhi will deliberate on nice market and value chains in agriculture and forest products.

In plenary sessions, Vice-President of the Asian Development Bank Shixin Chen, Head of Asia Pacific Sovereign Ratings of Fitch Stephen Schwartz, CEO of Invest India Deepak Bagla, Executive Director of Malaysian Investment Development Authority Sivasuriyamoorthy Sundara Raja, Vice-President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank DJ Pandian and Vice-President of Economics and Private Sector Development at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Hans Peter Lankes will share their experiences.

Similarly, president of the FNCCI Bhawani Rana, President of Confederation of Nepalse Industries Hari Bhakta Sharma, Chairman of Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limitd Nand Lal Sharma, Managing Director of Unilever Nepal Aashish Rai, Former President of Non-Resident Nepali Association Upendra Mahato, CEO – Vietnam, ASEAN and South Asia of Standard Chartered Bank Nirukt Sapru and other international speakers will deliver talks during the summit.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will inaugurate the summit and Minister for Finance Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada, and CEO of the Investment Board of Nepal Maha Prasad Adhikari will address the inaugural session.

Published in The Rising Nepal on 5 March 2019.