APO Hands Over Nepal's 10-Year Productivity Master Plan
KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 (Bernama) -- The Asian Productivity Organization (APO), a regional intergovernmental organisation, has formally handed over the National Productivity Master Plan for Nepal 2026–2036 to the Government of Nepal during an online ceremony jointly organised with the National Productivity and Economic Development Centre (NPEDC) and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies.
The handover marks a significant milestone in Nepal's efforts to place productivity at the heart of national development and strengthen its long-term competitiveness as it transitions from least developed country status.
APO Secretary-General, Dr Indra Pradana Singawinata said Nepal has an opportunity to demonstrate that productivity is not merely a technocratic exercise but a pathway to stronger competitiveness, greater economic resilience and shared prosperity.
“By translating this master plan into concrete action, Nepal can build a more productive, innovative and inclusive future for generations to come,” he said in a statement.
The 10-year master plan provides Nepal’s first comprehensive roadmap for systematically raising productivity across the economy through coordinated reforms, strategic investments and stronger institutional collaboration.
Aligned with Nepal’s Sixteenth Plan and Smooth Transition Strategy, it translates national policy priorities into an implementation-orientated agenda supported by clear institutional responsibilities, implementation sequencing, monitoring and evaluation, and a national productivity scorecard.
The master plan identifies key constraints to productivity growth, including infrastructure bottlenecks, logistical inefficiencies, skills mismatches, limited innovation, financing constraints, policy uncertainty and uneven technology adoption.
It proposes integrated solutions under four strategic goals, namely to improve the business-enabling environment, accelerate innovation-led modernisation, build competitiveness and economic complexity, and increase productivity through climate resilience and inclusion.
According to APO, the master plan provides a practical implementation pathway supported by federal, provincial and local government systems, and is expected to strengthen competitiveness, improve enterprise performance, generate higher-quality employment and enhance the well-being of the Nepalese people over the coming decade.
-- BERNAMA