Kathmandu, Jan. 18
The Confederation of
Nepalese Industries (CNI) has sought a national consensus and a shared vision paper
on economic development from the political parties contesting in the upcoming
general elections.
It suggested that, through national
consensus, a long-term vision for the country’s development, priority sectors
and projects, and a time-bound action plan for implementation should be clearly
outlined.
"Drawing lessons
from the experiences and practices of the neighbouring countries we need to
carve the future pathways for economic development. We urge
the political parties to place the economic agenda as the top priority while
preparing their election manifestos," CNI President Birendra Raj Pandey said in an interaction with
journalists in Kathmandu on Sunday.
He presented a set of suggestions on issues
that political parties should prioritise in their manifestos. CNI said the
recommendations made public on Sunday will be discussed with national-level
political parties.
It also maintained
that the political parties must realise the contemporary economic context and
challenges and accord due priority to those agenda in their election manifesto.
CNI wants all political parties giving priority to the policies on skills and
employment, infrastructure development, good governance, innovation, cottage,
small and medium enterprises, IT-based industries, energy, tourism and
agriculture, forest and environment
"We have felt
that political agenda has gained priority and economic concerns have taken a
back seat in the recent political discussions," said Pandey while adding
that although political parties include economic
agendas in their manifestos, these priorities often fail to receive due
attention during implementation once they are in government.
According to CNI,
policy instability due to rapidly changing government leadership, unpredictable
tax policies and rates especially in the sectors of the electric vehicle, IT
and services, iron and sponge iron sector had negatively impacted the private sector's
morale.
In the last three
decades, an average tenure of a prime minister has remained just 1.18 years
which came down to 1.10 years in the recent 17 years. In the last 30 years,
Nepal's average economic growth rate hovered around 4 per cent and remained
below the annual estimates, except in two occasions – in the aftermath of the
2015 Earthquake and COVID-19.
Export contributes
only 4.5 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product of the country while imports
constitute about 30 per cent which was above 38 per cent four years ago.
"If we have to
take the country onto the path of rapid development, the share of industrial
sector in the national economy should be doubled from the current 12 per cent.
Rate of Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) should also be improved drastically,"
said Pandey.
Pandey stated that there is a need to
bridge the wide gap often seen between the policies and programmes formulated
by the government, the budget, and their implementation.
Likewise, he said that although economic
policies and plans should continue for the country’s economic development,
priorities have frequently changed, and a lack of ownership of policies and
programmes has caused the country to lag economically. He added that although
good governance is often discussed rhetorically, its absence in practice has
raised concerns among the general public.
According to Pandey, institutions and
individuals responsible for implementing declared economic policies and plans
should be made more accountable.
Similarly, the CNI emphasised the need to
move forward with the goal of expanding the current economy of around USD 44
billion to USD 100 billion within the next 10 years.
To this end, it is conducting a
comprehensive study with the involvement of national and international experts,
which is expected to be completed and made public within the next few months.
Speaking on the occasion, Senior Vice
President Nirvan Chaudhary said that all political parties should prepare their
election manifestos with the economy at the centre and clearly outline how the
country will move forward in terms of development in the coming days.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 19 January 2026.
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