When investors want to improve their results in Nepal, they should co-invest with local investors. That’s why the Nepal Impact Investment Community is organizing “Netherlands in Nepal: Co-Investing for Impact and Change”. The conference, being held on November 19 in Kathmandu and hosted by the Chaudhary Group, aims to build mutual trust and establish cooperation between Nepali and foreign investors.

“The aim of the conference is to understand each other’s visions, expectations and ways of working,” says Cas de Stoppelaar, Consul General of Nepal to the Netherlands. De Stoppelaar, who initiated the event, hopes to explore how Nepali investors can work together and establish cooperation with foreign investors. “In order to become truly equal partners, we need to deepen the dialogue.”

According to De Stoppelaar both foreign and Nepali investors are ready for this next step. “The days of development aid are gone. Nepal needs FDI and impact investment is the new buzz word. The growth of the Nepal Impact Investment Community shows the interest of foreign investors in Nepal. On the Nepalese side, it’s very hopeful that prominent parties like the Chaudhary Group (the largest conglomerate in Nepal), the Nepal Economic Forum (NEF) and the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) are keen on exploring co-investments.” Both the Chaudhary family and NEF-director Sujeev Shakya will speak at the event.

Willem Grimminck, director of One to Watch, is happy with De Stoppelaar’s initiative. “We are serious about investing in Nepal. We currently have 15 investments and we want to expand significantly in the upcoming years. We think that both sides can benefit enormously from improved cooperation. Nepalese investors have local knowledge, a strong network and capital. We bring global best practices and foreign capital to the table. In short, I think that we can make smarter investments that have more impact and bring higher returns when we start co-investing.”

Grimminck currently prepares five Investment Memorandum’s that he will present at the conference. “I hope to discuss these cases and hear from Nepalese investors how they look at these opportunities. In stead of talking about the theory, I want to make this a practical exercise.”

The conference is hosted by the Chaudhary Group at the Summit Hotel in Kathmandu. That hotel was established in the 70’s by Dolf Noordijk and Cas de Stoppelaar and sold in 2012 to a local business group. De Stoppelaar: “When we founded the hotel, we realized quickly that we had to take a business approach in order to succeed. The hotel had a positive effect on Nepal’s tourist industry, we created jobs for Nepali’s and we benefited from it as well. This would be called impact investment today, but back then we just thought this was the best way to go.”

Want to participate in Netherlands in Nepal: Co-Investing for Impact and Change? Please get in touch with info@onetowatch.nl