The Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has urged political parties to place economic issues as a top priority in their election manifestos ahead of the upcoming elections.
Speaking at a program held today, CNI President Birendra Raj Pandey stressed that the country must achieve not only political resolution but also economic recovery by forming a government within the stipulated time. He said, “At present, political agendas seem to dominate, but clear plans and a roadmap are essential to improve the country’s economy.”
President Pandey noted that despite political changes occurring every decade, Nepal’s average economic growth rate has not improved significantly. He expressed concern that in recent years the contribution of the productive and industrial sectors to the economy has been declining, while the share of the service sector has been increasing.
“Increasing the contribution of productive sectors to the economy is a necessity of the time. Without this, long-term economic stability is not possible,” he said. He added that weak capital expenditure, the inability to expand investment despite adequate liquidity, and policy instability are among the key reasons behind sluggish economic growth.
CNI has recommended creating an investment-friendly environment to revive the economy, ending frequent annual changes in tax policies, reducing administrative hassles, and eliminating the need to approach multiple agencies for a single task.
President Pandey also pointed out that excessive regulatory structures have made doing business difficult. He emphasized that accelerating the economy alongside political stability should now be a primary objective. While political parties often make strong commitments in their manifestos, he remarked that implementation remains weak.
CNI further suggested adopting policies to promote entrepreneurship, ensuring good governance, completing large infrastructure projects on time, prioritizing information technology–based enterprises, strengthening energy security, and giving special attention to tourism promotion.
Similarly, CNI believes political parties should be serious about formulating policies to maximize benefits from forest products and attracting both domestic and foreign investment in the mining and minerals sector.
At the program, CNI Senior Vice President Nirvana Chaudhary stated that unemployment has become the country’s most serious problem. He added that CNI will engage in discussions and interactions with top-level leaders of all political parties during the upcoming elections to develop a clear roadmap for sustainable economic development along with political stability.
