Kathmandu: Masato Kanda, the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Chairperson of ADB’s Board of Directors, arrived in Kathmandu on July 6. “Arrived in Kathmandu at a pivotal moment for Nepal. The country has shown remarkable resilience through repeated shocks and periods of major change,” Kanda wrote on X. As Nepal’s largest development partner, with an active portfolio of $3.9 billion, we will support Nepal in turning that resilience into sustained progress, creating more opportunity and building the foundations for long-term growth, he further mentioned. “As Nepal’s new government sets out its priorities, I look forward to listening, learning, and discussing how ADB can support the country’s next chapter, building on six decades of partnership.”
Kanda visited the Distribution Command and Control Center and the ADB-financed Data Center at the Nepal Electricity Authority, where real-time monitoring and better data management are helping strengthen Nepal’s power system. Together with Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Biraj Bhakta Shrestha and Norway’s Ambassador Dagny Mjøs, he virtually inaugurated the Markichowk and Mulpani substations, which will help strengthen electricity supply in Kathmandu and other major demand centers.
“These investments are helping lay the foundations for cross-border power trade. ADB will continue supporting Nepal in harnessing clean energy as a driver of growth and deeper regional integration across South Asia,” Kanda wrote on X.
