LONDON, Sept 11: Nepal and the United Kingdom have discussed strengthening cooperation in women and youth empowerment, entrepreneurship promotion and inclusive economic development.
The issues were discussed during a meeting with representatives of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), with a focus on making ongoing programmes in Nepal and South Asia more results-oriented and connecting women and young people with greater economic opportunities.
The meeting covered social and economic empowerment of women and youth, entrepreneurship development, skills enhancement, market access, leadership development and opportunities for international cooperation. Participants also shared experiences and recommendations from a study and knowledge-exchange visit to Manchester organised last year through the FCDO and other UK programmes, which included Nepali women entrepreneurs.
According to Shobha Gyawali, former president of the Federation of Woman Entrepreneurs’ Associations of Nepal, many women entrepreneurs in Nepal have the capacity to produce quality goods and expand their businesses but lack practical knowledge of international market access, export procedures, required standards, documentation, business networks and market linkages.
Celebrating Woman Entrepreneurship Day
She said the opportunity to exchange experiences and build business connections with more than 50 women entrepreneurs from different countries in Manchester helped Nepali participants better understand the potential for taking their businesses to international markets.
Participants stressed the need to continue study visits, knowledge-exchange, mentoring and international business networking programmes. They said training alone was 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.
The meeting also explored potential Nepal-UK cooperation in technology, access to finance, business knowledge, product branding, packaging, quality certification, digital marketing, export procedures and establishing links with international buyers.
Participants proposed that cooperation should go beyond training programmes and cover the entire business chain, from production to market access, exports and eventual business expansion.
They also said the UK’s experience and international networks in women’s entrepreneurship and inclusive economic development could be linked with Nepali women entrepreneurs, the private sector, business associations, chambers of commerce and industry, and local organisations to benefit a larger number of women entrepreneurs.
Gyawali said the impact of such programmes should not be measured only by the number of people trained, but also by how many women entrepreneurs expanded their businesses, how many jobs were created, how much was exported in goods and services, and how many women achieved greater economic independence.
The meeting with the FCDO is expected to open new avenues for cooperation between Nepal and the UK in women and youth empowerment, entrepreneurship and economic development. Participants emphasised the need to translate the recommendations into practical programmes focused on sustained mentoring, international knowledge exchange and market access.
