Kathmandu: Discussions have been held on further strengthening cooperation between Nepal and the United Kingdom in the areas of women and youth empowerment, entrepreneurship promotion and inclusive economic development.
During a meeting with representatives of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), participants discussed ways to make programmes being implemented in Nepal and across South Asia more effective and results-oriented, while creating greater access to employment, entrepreneurship and economic opportunities for women and young people.
The meeting also covered issues related to the social and economic empowerment of women and youth, entrepreneurship development, skills enhancement, market access, leadership development and opportunities for international business cooperation. Participants shared experiences and recommendations on advancing these areas.
The participants also shared experiences from a study and knowledge-exchange visit to Manchester, UK, organised last year through the FCDO and related UK programmes. Women entrepreneurs from Nepal had participated in the programme.
Former President of the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs’ Associations of Nepal, Shova Gyawali, said that although many Nepali women entrepreneurs have the capacity to produce quality goods and expand their businesses, they still lack practical knowledge of international market access, export procedures, required standards, documentation, business networking and market linkages.
According to Gyawali, the opportunity to exchange experiences and build business relationships with more than 50 women entrepreneurs from different countries in Manchester helped participating Nepali women entrepreneurs better understand the possibilities of taking their products and businesses to international markets.
The meeting emphasised the need to continue programmes focused on study visits, experience sharing, mentoring, learning and the development of international business networks. Participants stressed that providing training alone is not sufficient and that women entrepreneurs should be connected with actual markets, given opportunities to exchange experiences with international entrepreneurs and provided with practical knowledge of export procedures.
Discussions also explored potential areas of cooperation between Nepali women entrepreneurs and the UK, including technology, access to finance, business knowledge, product branding, packaging, quality certification, digital marketing, export procedures and building business relationships with international buyers.
Participants emphasised that cooperation should not remain limited to training and orientation programmes, but should be designed to support women entrepreneurs throughout the entire business cycle—from production to market access, from market access to exports, and from exports to business expansion.
It was also noted that linking the UK’s experience, expertise and international networks in women’s entrepreneurship and inclusive economic development with Nepali women entrepreneurs, the private sector, business associations and the industrial and commercial sector could benefit a large number of women entrepreneurs.
Gyawali said the effectiveness of such programmes should not be measured solely by the number of people receiving training. Instead, their impact should also be assessed in terms of how many women entrepreneurs expanded their businesses, how many jobs were created, how much in goods and services were exported, and how many women achieved greater economic independence as a result.
The meeting with FCDO is expected to open new avenues for cooperation between Nepal and the UK in women and youth empowerment, entrepreneurship development and economic cooperation. Participants stressed the need to translate the recommendations from the discussions into practical programmes focused on continued mentoring, international experience sharing, market access and export promotion.
