Wish you all a joyous and productive 2022!

Nepal experienced negative economic growth of 2.1% in 2019/20—for the first time in the last two decades—due to the Covid-19 pandemic (as per the Ministry of Finance). Despite the serious consequences brought about by the pandemic, our team achieved important wins as we worked diligently to create and expand industry-led actions for firms and people to come together, unlock investments, and improve skilling- and job creating-systems—in new and better ways.  

We celebrate all the partnerships and engagements built and experienced … and all the peaks, bumps, curves, and cliffs encountered, because they each represent the many opportunities we have had to learn, refine and grow. To build on our momentum, and progress, in contributing to the vision of a more equitable, productive, and resilient Nepalis and Nepali firms, that are well-equipped and enabled to realize their potential. 

This year, we continue to:

👉🏽 Demonstrate how development partners can co-invest with private sector to further decentralize and expand services/industries outside Kathmandu, while also demonstrating models and practices to further the private-sector-aligned Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) agenda.

👉🏽 Replicate सीप’s practical demonstrated Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach to unlocking greater investments and fostering backward-and-forward linkages for expanded enterprise-led skilling, job creation and networks to supply chains/other key market actors.

👉🏽 Support workforce upgrading in conjunction with structural transformation across priority sectors, to enable industry leaders/firms recover from the setbacks of COVID and improve organisational capability.

👉🏽 Build on the high level of trust and credibility established with Government of Nepal, to extend focused technical assistance for the Government to better understand and better align with the existing and emerging needs of the private sector and public—from productive reintegration of returnee migrants to coordination with foreign Governments (through G2Gs) to open lucrative opportunities for Nepalis through ethical recruitment, especially women.

👉🏽 Further the Lumbini and Province 2 Governments’ agenda for skilled human resource development for expanded employment/self-employment and enterprise development, including to improve business enabling environment for socio-economic transformation in the two Provinces.

👉🏽 Reshape and accelerate growth of the ICT sector and ICT-based sectors through strategic promotion and integration of digital-based solutions and skilling systems that better prepare youth for emerging jobs in Artificial Intelligence; Cloud Computing and digitized intra-city logistics on the one-hand, and also enable self-employment and improved livelihoods for drivers and farmers.

👉🏽 Build better access to affordable MSME financing for returnee migrants / migrant households to utilise remittance towards productive use, including further rural-based job creation.

👉🏽 Undertake knowledge-sharing, as well as set aside modest co-investments, to encourage climate-smart and environment-sensitive practices by Nepali firms given our tangible, immediate opportunities to promote green economy through existing partners and broader stakeholders. 

We deeply appreciate the many courageous, resilient, and selfless actions taken individually and collectively across our team, and our partners, to care for one another and to better serve and support Nepali people and institutions with livelihood- and productivity-enabling services and opportunities. 

‘We are proud of our joint efforts with UKaid सीप which is strategically addressing skill gaps to meet industry workforce and productivity demands in Nepal,’ shared British Ambassador Nicola Pollitt at an event earlier this year.

THANK YOU for being part of our journey. Wish you all a joyous and productive 2022!