Kathmandu – Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle, who has travelled to Doha to attend the 11th annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), has held talks with the bank’s president, Zou Jiayi.
In the meeting, Minister Wagle asked President Zou to expand AIIB investment in Nepal, support reconstruction after natural disasters, and widen access to concessional financing.
President Zou expressed deep condolences for the human and material losses Nepal has suffered from the recent devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River. She pledged the bank’s fullest possible support for resilient reconstruction after the disaster.
She said the bank will provide grant assistance for project preparation through the Project Preparation Specialised Fund.
She also said that by using grants under the Specialised Fund window, the loans AIIB provides to Nepal could be kept at the most concessional interest rate possible. She reiterated the bank’s commitment to continued cooperation in the economic development of Nepal, a founding member of the AIIB.
On the occasion, Minister Wagle congratulated the new president and thanked the bank for the support it has extended to Nepal as a founding member.
He asked for the early completion of the Power Distribution System Improvement and Expansion Project, currently running with AIIB financing, and of the study for the expressway.
Under medium- and long-term assistance, Minister Wagle also asked the bank to mobilise its own resources, along with those of other donor agencies, for developing green energy, cross-border electricity transmission lines, road infrastructure and digital infrastructure.
During the discussion, Minister Wagle also invited President Zou to visit Nepal within 2026.
