With a view to enhancing the capacity of Nepalese intermediary business organizations (IBOs) in a changed, globalized competitive business environment, EEC-Nepal, under the Asia-Invest Programme, has initiated a project entitled 'Enhancing the Intermediary Business Organizations in Nepal'.

The major objectives of the project are to better equip local Nepalese SMEs and their European intermediary counterparts to facilitate trade between Europe and Nepal, as per the mandated objective of the European Union’s Asia Invest Programme. The project’s target group constitutes 15 Nepalese business IBOs whose capacity needs to be strengthened through training, information dissemination and developing network. There are also 80 indirect beneficiaries who will benefit from the project, according to project implementers.

The beneficiaries of the project selected as per the set criteria include Nepal Carpet Exporters Association, Nepal Coffee Producers Association, Floriculture Association Nepal, Rupandehi Industry Association, Lalitpur Handicraft Association and Baglung Chamber of Commerce and Industries. Other beneficiaries are Nepalgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Itahari Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Nuwakot Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Darchula Chamber of Commerce and Industries, FNCSIN-District Committee Kathmandu, FNCSIN-District Committee Bhaktapur, FNCSIN-District Committee Makwanpur, FNCSIN District Committee Dhading, FNCSIN-District Committee Dolakha.

At the launching of the project and a two-day beneficiaries’ meeting held in Kathmandu, Dibya Mani Rajbhandari, President of EEC-Nepal (the lead project implementer), said the project aims, inter alia, to establish an IBO network. Chandi Raj Dhakal, President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), appreciated the initiative taken by EEC-Nepal for enhancing the capacity of IBOs that are really in need of enhancing the quality of their products, boosting export competitiveness and marketing tools to face the competition at local and international markets. At the same function, Jung Bahadur Shrestha, President of (Federation of Nepalese Cottage and small Industries Nepal) FNCSIN expressed the hope that the project would play a crucial role in boosting capacity of SMEs in the days to come as the role of SMEs in national economy is significant. Binayak Shah, Secretary General of EEC-Nepal gave a detailed description on ECIBON project and its proposed activities.

Giap Dang, Cooperation Coordinator of European Union, Delegation of the European Commission to Nepal, welcomed the ECIBON project. He said that if peace prevails, economic activities will automatically increase, thereby stimulating further cooperation between the EU and Nepal.

Besides EEC-Nepal, the implementing partners of the 30-month EU-funded project are FNCSIN, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden (CCISS-Sweden), London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Danish Federation of Small and Medium- Sized Enterprises. The project will conduct seminars and workshops on issues such as doing business with the EU, particularly with Great Britain, chamber management and administration, match-making activities and events, organizing and participating in trade fairs and exhibitions, international documents and payments, regional policy on economy and infrastructure, and EU quality standards. Pravakar Bickram Rana is the Project Manager.