26 October, Kathmandu. Chandra Prasad Dhakal, outgoing president of Federation of Nepalese Industry and Commerce and chairman of IME Group, has urged investors from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to invest in various potential areas of Nepal.
Dhakal, who arrived there to participate in the "RAK Investment Summit 2026" held in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, met with the Minister of Foreign Trade of the UAE, Dr. He made this request while meeting with Thani bin Ahmed Al Jeudi.
During the meeting, they discussed various aspects of Nepal-UAE bilateral relations, trade expansion and investment opportunities in Nepal.
In the meeting, Dhakal pointed out that Nepal has high potential in hydropower, tourism, agriculture, information technology and data center sectors and asked for investment in those sectors.
He said that Nepal can become a very attractive destination for setting up information technology and data centers due to sufficient clean energy (hydroelectricity) and cold climate available in Nepal.
In addition, he said, there is a great opportunity for investment in high-level tourism infrastructure such as cable cars and ski resorts.
Both sides expressed their happiness regarding the completion of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Nepal and UAE. Dhakal welcomed Minister Al Jeudi's idea of organizing a special ceremony on the occasion of the golden jubilee of diplomatic relations to be celebrated next year in 2027.
Dhakal also emphasized on the need to continue the exchange of high-level visits between the government and the private sector to further enhance the relationship between the two countries through the golden jubilee occasion.
Dhakal pointed out the need to further strengthen the legal basis such as Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) and Double Taxation Agreement to give confidence to investors along with policy and regulatory clarity.
Dhakal praised Fly Dubai for starting direct flights from UAE to Pokhara International Airport and requested them to initiate direct flights at Bhairahawa-based Gautam Budh International Airport as well.
He was of the view that if direct flights start at Bhairahawa, it will become an important gateway to directly connect the UAE with Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautama Buddha.
He also expressed his belief that the upcoming golden jubilee year 2027 will start a new chapter of shared prosperity and strong economic partnership between Nepal and UAE.
TU INTERNATIONAL CRICKET STADIUM
