UAE Foreign Trade Minister concludes high-level Nepal visit to drive infrastructure investment

July 11, Kathmandu: United Arab Emirates Minister of Foreign Trade Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi embarked on a high-level official visit to Nepal this week, aiming to scale up bilateral investment across key infrastructure sectors following a 90.1 percent year-on-year surge in non-oil trade.

During the visit (July 9-10), which was organized as part of the ‘UAE Trade Days’ initiative, Al Zeyoudi made a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Paudel at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Kathmandu.

The duo discussed strengthening trade and foreign direct investment, with a focus on expanding partnership frameworks in hydropower, tourism, and technology. Al Zeyoudi conveyed greetings and congratulations on behalf of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Vice President, Deputy PM, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The UAE delegation held a series of separate portfolio meetings with senior Nepali officials to address structural economic cooperation. Talks were conducted with Speaker of the House of Representatives Dol Prasad Aryal, Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal, Minister for Finance Dr. Swarnim Wagle, and Minister of Home Affairs Sudan Gurung. The diplomatic sessions focused on identifying practical avenues to accelerate trade flows, simplify labor migration procedures, and formalize investment mechanisms through the UAE’s Sovereign Wealth Fund.

A central highlight of the visit was a formal bilateral meeting held inside Singhadurbar at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies with Minister Gauri Kumari Yadav. The session mapped out concrete Emirati proposals to invest in Nepal’s railway network and establish a “Green Data Center” infrastructure, alongside technical assistance to streamline the certification and export of Nepali agricultural products to Gulf markets.

“Nepal is a market of considerable potential and our visit this week was firmly focused on translating it into concrete commercial outcomes for the private sectors in both nations,” Al Zeyoudi said, noting that the UAE is committed to combining its private-sector expertise with Nepal’s natural resources in hydropower, agro-processing, and logistics.

Al Zeyoudi also convened a business roundtable alongside senior UAE and Nepali corporate leaders at Chandragiri, including Chandra Prasad Dhakal, Chairman of the IME Group and immediate past President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI). The cross-sector discussions centered on securing private-sector engagement for large-scale infrastructure development, information technology, and expanding air connectivity—bolstered by the recent launch of flights out of Pokhara International Airport—to sustain growing commercial travel and tourism.

The UAE Embassy in Kathmandu organized the Economic Promotional Event / Interaction Program on Investment Opportunities during the visit of UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi. Addressing the event, UAE Ambassador to Nepal Abdullah Al Shamsi said it would strengthen business partnerships and bilateral economic cooperation.

Bilateral non-oil foreign trade between the UAE and Nepal reached US$438.4 million in 2025, up from previous periods. Nepal’s non-oil exports to the UAE accounted for the majority of the volume, totaling US$348.6 million—a 109.4 percent increase from the previous year—while UAE re-exports to Nepal stood at US$84.6 million, representing a 44 percent increase.

The diplomatic push aligns with the UAE’s broader strategic framework to deepen economic engagement with high-growth South Asian markets and advance its targeted objective of expanding global non-oil foreign trade to US$1.1 trillion by 2031.