National Assembly Speaker Narayan Prasad Dahal has proposed cooperation with Switzerland to establish a world-class pharmaceutical industry in Nepal, raising the idea during a courtesy meeting on Monday with Pierre-André Page, president of Switzerland’s National Council. Dahal said after the meeting that Switzerland is home to world-class pharmaceutical industries and urged government-level efforts to pursue the proposal.
Dahal calls for government-level efforts
The proposal, as described by Dahal to journalists after the meeting, was for Nepal and Switzerland to cooperate in establishing a pharmaceutical industry in Nepal. He called for efforts at the government level, putting the idea forward as an area for bilateral engagement. The account did not provide further details about the proposed cooperation or any steps agreed by the two sides.
Dahal’s comments connected the proposal to Switzerland’s pharmaceutical industry. He cited the presence of world-class pharmaceutical industries in Switzerland as the basis for seeking cooperation. The statement outlined a broad objective - establishing a comparable industry in Nepal - but did not specify what form Swiss involvement might take.
A proposal, not a detailed plan
The meeting was described as a courtesy meeting between Dahal and Page. The information available about the discussion does not outline a project plan, timeline, investment figure, production target or specific arrangement between Nepal and Switzerland. Nor does it report that an agreement was signed or that either side made a formal commitment. Dahal’s remarks therefore present the idea as a proposal for government-level consideration.
The distinction matters because the call for cooperation is not, on the information provided, a confirmed industrial project. Dahal advocated pursuing the goal, while the account leaves open how the two governments might take it forward. Any future steps would need to clarify the scope of cooperation and the roles of the parties involved; no such details were announced in the account of Monday’s meeting.
Swiss expertise cited as the basis for cooperation
Dahal’s stated rationale was Switzerland’s standing in pharmaceuticals. His comments point to the industry as an area where he sees potential for cooperation with Nepal. He did not, however, identify a particular company, product, technology or institution as a prospective partner, and the available account does not describe a specific model for transferring expertise or establishing production.
The proposal puts pharmaceutical manufacturing on the agenda of the courtesy meeting, but the information released after the discussion remains general. It records Dahal’s appeal for government-level efforts and his reference to Switzerland’s world-class industry, without setting out the next stage of engagement. The report was published by News of Nepal.
