A delegation from the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry has arrived in Kathmandu to hold discussions on the Joint Business Council (JBC) formed between the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The agreement to establish the Joint Business Council was signed in April 2024 during the visit of His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to Nepal, further strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries.

The visit is taking place at the invitation of Chandra Prasad Dhakal, President of FNCCI.

The Qatari delegation is led by Mohd Ahmad M A Alobaidly, Board Member of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The meetings will be held on Feb 9 and 10 in Kathmandu and are expected to give final shape and operational direction to the Joint Business Council.

The JBC has been established as a structured platform to promote dialogue, business cooperation and direct engagement between the private sectors of Nepal and Qatar.

The delegation will hold high-level meetings during their stay in Kathmandu. They are scheduled to meet with Rameshwor Prasad Khanal, Minister of Finance; Anil Kumar Sinha, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies and also Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation; and Dr Biswo Nath Poudel, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank.

FNCCI believes that finalising and activating the Joint Business Council will play an important role in expanding bilateral trade, encouraging investment flows and facilitating business partnerships between the two countries.

The discussions will focus on making the council practical and results-oriented, with an emphasis on identifying concrete areas of collaboration.

Nepal and Qatar share long-standing friendly relations and strong people-to-people ties, which are now evolving toward deeper economic cooperation. Recent high-level engagements between the two countries have created positive momentum for greater private sector involvement, and FNCCI sees this visit as a timely step in that direction.

Nepal offers investment opportunities across sectors such as hydropower and renewable energy, tourism, agro-processing, information technology, manufacturing, infrastructure, health and education.

FNCCI, as the largest umbrella organisation of Nepal’s private sector, remains committed to facilitating foreign investment, strengthening institutional cooperation and supporting business-to-business engagement.

FNCCI expects that the outcomes of this meeting will further strengthen Nepal-Qatar economic relations and contribute to increased trade and investment in the coming years.