Kathmandu, May 18: Nepal has received only a small fraction of the foreign investment it approved, exposing the familiar gap between promises on paper and money that actually shows up. Bureaucracies adore ceremonies. Cash, less so.
According to the 33rd annual report of the Office of the Auditor General, foreign investment proposals worth Rs 79.69 billion from 1,009 investors were approved in the fiscal year 2024/25. But only Rs 11.30 billion was actually brought into the country by 97 investors, just 14 percent of the approved amount.
The public report shows that the ratio between pledged and actual foreign investment has been declining in recent years.
In fiscal year 2022/23, Nepal approved investment proposals worth Rs 32.48 billion, but received only Rs 9.20 billion, or 28 percent.
Likewise, in fiscal year 2023/24, only 13 percent of approved investment materialized. Out of Rs 81.69 billion in approved commitments, just Rs 10.29 billion entered the country.
The figures point to a widening gap between foreign investors’ commitments and actual capital inflow.
The Auditor General’s report has urged the government to ensure policy stability, simplify administrative procedures, and create a more investment-friendly environment so that commitments can turn into real investment instead of decorative press releases.
People’s News Monitoring Service
Login to add a comment