KATHMANDU: Forum for Nation Building (FNB) Nepal and Entrepreneurship Youth Creative National Campaign (EYCNC) jointly organised the 'Entrepreneurship Motivation Conclave' in Kathmandu on Tuesday. The programme was held with the objective of motivating youths for entrepreneurship, according to the organisers.
More than 300 youths from across the country participated in the conclave. Policymakers, businesspersons, entrepreneurs and youth leaders expressed their views on various issues. At the programme, the policy regime, various practical problems and prospects were disseminated to attract the youths towards entrepreneurship.
Speakers inspired the youths in three different sessions. In the first session, Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat, former Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada, Economist Achyut Wagle and Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Vice President (Associate) Jyotsna Shrestha expressed their views.
Addressing the event, Finance Minister Mahat opined that there were more opportunities for exploration and development of entrepreneurship at home than in foreign countries and urged youths to take its leadership.
He suggested that youths should unlearn the perspective that they could achieve everything they aspire to in a foreign land.
Describing Nepal as a land rich in opportunities, Minister Mahat said the government ensured the facilities of soft loans, grants and discounts in tax to promote economic opportunities in the country.
"The growing perception among youths that their status will improve once they reach foreign soil is totally wrong," Minister Mahat said, adding Nepal's tourism industry is improving and the information technology (IT) sector here indicated promising potential for further advancement. "The national economy is on the path of recovery and proactive and positive approaches and actions are needed to meet the targets of economic prosperity," he said.
Former Finance Minister Khatiwada said that entrepreneurship is within the special ability of individuals. He said that the environment of entrepreneurship starts with education and asserted that there is a weakness in the education sector. He said that programmes focused on skill development and financial resource management should be brought by concentrating on the human resources who cannot get higher education.
On the occasion, Rastriya Banijya Bank CEO Kiran Kumar Shrestha urged youths to seek careers within the country, taking advantage of various schemes offered by the government and banks targeting them. He said the banking sector has introduced 10 schemes for entrepreneurship development including for women and students, but expected results have remained unmet yet.
Bhupendra Jung Shahi, coordinator of the Entrepreneurship Youth Creative National Campaign, said youths should be involved in economic activities and should be used for economic development. The economic development of the country is not possible only through political campaigns, he said adding everyone should work together to expand entrepreneurship and create jobs. Shahi announced that he would conduct a nationwide programme for economic development.
Rastriya Banijya Bank CEO Kiran Kumar Shrestha urged youths to seek careers within the country, taking advantage of various schemes offered by the government and banks targeting them. He said the banking sector has introduced 10 schemes for youths including women and students for entrepreneurship development. However, he also said that the expected results remained unmet.
In the second session of the conclave, there was a discussion about obstacles, possibilities and future for the development of entrepreneurship.
Youth entrepreneur Ranjit Acharya remarked, "Entrepreneurship itself is born from creative thinking rather than the expectations from the government for entrepreneurship development."
He opined that there was no possibility of improvement in the current political and administrative thinking and style. The continuation of this will neither promote entrepreneurship nor create jobs.
Likewise, youth economist Sameer Khatiwada opined that when youth unemployment and inflation go hand in hand in any country, the system experiences crisis. He said although this is happening in Nepal, there is no rebellion here since all these youths are leaving the country for employment in foreign countries.
He lamented that the government has neither taken unemployment and price inflation seriously nor taken policy initiatives to solve problems. "Even when there is a policy, its implementation seems appropriate, so it shows that no one is serious about it," Khatiwada expressed.
Speaking at the event, Deputy CEO of Nabil Bank, Manoj Kumar Gyawali, said that there is an immediate possibility of reforming the political system and bureaucracy and unless this happens, the government is unlikely to become effective. "We should ourselves move forward with innovative ideas for entrepreneurship development rather than expecting from the government," he opined.
Gyawali highlighted that there were not many problems with financial resources for enterprise business. He suggested the youths approach a bank for loans with any viable business plan, citing that they could benefit from various schemes recently introduced by the banking sector for young entrepreneurs. However, such a project should be feasible, said Gyawali.
Executive Vice President of Youth and Small Entrepreneur Self-Employment Fund, Devraj Roka (Kalyan) said that they are ready to engage the youth in employment.
In the third session, youth leaders discussed the present situation, policy and future of the youth.
Nepali Congress' youth leader Ranjit Karna; National Youth Council (NYC) Vice Chairperson Surendra Basnet; FNCCI's Investment and International Affairs Forum Chairperson Manoj Paudel; and Youth Entrepreneur Niraj Kafle expressed their opinions. in the final session.
Although the future of Nepal is bright, the current situation of youth migration is scary, Young entrepreneurs and leaders expressed their views. NC leader Karna opined that there were all round possibilities in Nepal and youths are politically aware, but they are not able to connect with production, entrepreneurship and employment.
NYC Vice Chairperson Basnet said that Nepal has unprecedented potential and opportunity, but to use it, youth mobilisation and participation are mandatory. He said that the basic leadership of the government and politics should be sensitive to the youth.
FNCCI Executive Committee member Paudel said China and India will have become the centre of the world economy by 2050 and Nepal can take advantage of it. But, to get that benefit, the current young generation should be successful, he said. He stressed that only when the current generation becomes entrepreneurial, it will be worth the benefit.
Entrepreneur Kafle said that the youths of Nepal are capable of advancing in entrepreneurship, but the government should facilitate it.
