Rs 64.97 billion FDI commitment received for 840 industries in 2024/25

KATHMANDU: Nepal received foreign direct investment (FDI) commitments worth Rs 64.97 billion for 840 industries in the fiscal year 2024/25.

These proposed ventures have expressed commitments to generate 19,536 jobs.

According to the Department of Industry (DoI), FDI commitments totaling Rs 4.35 billion were received for 123 industries in the month of Ashadh (mid-June to mid-July) alone.

Of the total commitments for 2024/25, 824 were for small-scale industries, 10 for medium-scale industries and six for large-scale enterprises.

Nearly half of the commitments are in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. According to the DoI, 46% of the projects (382) fall under the ICT category. The tourism sector accounted for 36% (304 projects), followed by the service sector at 10% (84 projects) and the manufacturing sector at 7% (55 projects). Additionally, 13 commitments were made in the agriculture sector, two in the industrial sector and one in the energy sector.

In terms of committed investment amount, the service sector leads with 48% of the committed amount, or Rs 30.9 billion, followed by tourism at 41% (Rs 26.82 billion), manufacturing at 6% (Rs 3.84 billion), ICT at 3% (Rs 1.84 billion) and agriculture at 2% (Rs 1.46 billion).

A monthly breakdown shows that the highest FDI commitment was recorded in the month of Falgun (mid-February to mid-March), while the lowest was in Magh (mid-January to mid-February).

Meanwhile, foreign investors repatriated dividends worth Rs 9.61 billion from their investments during the fiscal year 2024/25.