The Sudurpaschim Province Startup and Innovation Summit 2083 opened in Dhangadhi, Sudurpaschim, bringing together organisers from the Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sudurpaschim University and Kailali Multiple Campus. At the inaugural session, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) President Anjan Shrestha said youth and women entrepreneurship, cooperation between industry and education, and a supportive environment for domestic production, employment and enterprise are important foundations for the country’s economic transformation.
Entrepreneurship at the centre of economic transformation
Shrestha’s remarks placed entrepreneurship among the key priorities for Nepal’s economic development. He stressed the need to develop both youth and women as entrepreneurs, identifying their participation in enterprise as part of the wider effort to transform the economy. His comments gave the summit an emphasis on building opportunities for people to take part in business and innovation.
The focus on youth and women was presented as a central part of the discussion at the opening session, rather than as a separate concern from the country’s economic goals. Shrestha linked entrepreneurship with the broader task of creating conditions in which businesses can develop and contribute to economic activity. The summit’s opening therefore centred on how enterprise can be supported alongside other priorities, including domestic production and employment.
Stronger links between education and industry
Shrestha also called for stronger cooperation between the industry and education sectors. The point connected the summit’s organisers - a chamber of commerce and industry, a university and a campus - with one of the priorities raised at its inaugural session. His remarks underscored the importance he placed on collaboration between those who work in business and those in education.
The call for cooperation was framed as a basis for economic transformation. In Shrestha’s view, the relationship between industry and education should be strengthened as part of a wider approach to developing entrepreneurship and enterprise. His address brought these priorities together: nurturing youth and women entrepreneurs, improving coordination between the sectors and creating an environment that supports economic activity.
Domestic production, jobs and enterprise
Creating a favourable environment for domestic production, employment and enterprise was another key theme in Shrestha’s address. The three priorities were presented together, connecting the conditions needed for businesses to operate with production and job creation. His remarks pointed to a broad ambition: an economy in which domestic enterprise can develop and contribute to employment.
The summit opened in Dhangadhi under the joint organisation of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sudurpaschim University and Kailali Multiple Campus. Its inaugural session provided a platform for Shrestha to set out the priorities he considers important to economic transformation. The information available about the opening did not specify individual sessions, participants beyond the named organisers and speaker, or further programme details.
The themes outlined at the opening - entrepreneurship for youth and women, collaboration between industry and education, domestic production, employment and enterprise - form the core of the reported message from the summit. Shrestha’s remarks called for an environment that can support those aims, while the organisers brought together business and educational institutions in Dhangadhi for the event.
