Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Foreign direct investment (FDI) commitments over the first five months of fiscal year 2024/25 (mid-July to mid-December) have reached Rs 20.77 billion.
According to the Department of Industries (DoI), foreign investors have proposed to put their money into 319 projects. If the investment commitment translates into actual investments, these projects will create 9,206 new jobs.
The investment commitment of Rs 2.11 billion was made in the Nepali month of Mangsir alone (mid-November to mid-December).
According to the DoI, FDI commitments for 138 projects worth Rs 2.13 billion came via the automatic route, while investment commitments for 181 projects worth Rs 18.64 billion were made through the traditional approval route.
The government laid down the legal framework for the automatic approval of foreign investments up to Rs 500 million in October last year. It was formally launched during the 2024 Nepal Investment Summit held in the last week of April.
The investment commitments have come in six sectors—manufacturing, agriculture and forestry, tourism, services, infrastructure and information and communication technology (ICT). The tourism sector attracted the highest number of projects. Of the 319 projects receiving FDI commitments during the review period, 145 (or 45%) were in the tourism sector. Likewise, 62% of the committed amount, or Rs 12.76 billion, was directed toward tourism. The service sector ranked second with FDI commitments of Rs 4.83 billion for 40 projects. The manufacturing sector was next with FID commitments worth Rs. 1.81 billion for 22 projects.
Meanwhile, foreign investors repatriated Rs 1.61 billion over the first five months of 2024/25. According to the DoI, Rs 382.25 million was transformed from as royalty, Rs 851.6 million as dividends and Rs 380.86 million as service fees.
