NCC president, South African ambassador discuss expanding trade, investment, private sector cooperation

KATHMANDU: Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) President Kamlesh Kumar Agrawal and South Africa’s Ambassador to Nepal, Professor Anil Sooklal, held a discussion on expanding bilateral trade, investment and private sector cooperation.

The meeting, held at Chamber Bhawan in Jamal on Wednesday, identified potential areas for joint work, including infrastructure development, mining and minerals, energy, agricultural processing, information technology, and tourism.

NCC President Agrawal said that, to strengthen economic relations between the two countries, priority must be given to direct commercial links between private sectors, the exchange of trade delegations, market identification and joint investments. He highlighted that Nepali pashmina, tea, coffee, spices and handicrafts have strong potential in the South African market and added that sharing information on product quality, technical standards, customs tariffs and freight costs would support trade expansion.

He noted that high-value agricultural products from Nepal could benefit from South Africa's expertise in irrigation, cold storage and processing. He said that executing joint projects in processing, packaging, storage and market management would promote exports and create employment. He also called for identifying mutual opportunities in renewable energy, power storage, transmission grids and climate-resilient infrastructure, and suggested joint tourism packages combining Nepal's mountain and cultural offerings with South Africa's wildlife safari sector.

To secure concrete commercial outcomes, Agrawal proposed regular dialogue between the chamber, diplomatic missions and government bodies, the establishment of a joint working group of private sector representatives, a list of priority goods and services, and the identification of viable investment projects.

In response, Ambassador Sooklal said infrastructure development and the mining and minerals sector should be prioritised for practical private sector cooperation. He said South African companies have extensive experience in global infrastructure construction, including in the Middle East, which could be applied to projects in Nepal. He added that South Africa has long-standing technical expertise in mineral exploration and could assist Nepal in identifying mineral resources, conducting feasibility studies and supporting development projects. He also said initiatives are underway to reactivate private sector business ties between India and South Africa, and that this experience could help broaden commercial links with Nepal.

Both sides emphasised that effective bilateral coordination is required to resolve operational hurdles related to transport, transit, visa processing, quality standards and investment clearances.

The meeting was attended by Pradip Lal Shrestha, Honorary Consul of Nepal for South Africa; NCC Senior Vice President Deepak Kumar Malhotra; and IT Committee Chairperson Bigyan Shrestha, among other officials.