KOICA Celebrates 30 Years in Nepal, $29 Million Grant Agreement Signed

Kathmandu: The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) celebrated three decades of development partnership in Nepal with a commemorative event titled ‘Together for 30 Years: A Journey of Trust and Cooperation’ on August 22, 2025, in Kathmandu.

In the event, Mooheon Kong, KOICA Nepal Country Director, emphasized KOICA’s enduring partnership with Nepal and its unwavering commitment to inclusive and sustainable development. He highlighted the agency’s focus on supporting local capacity building and fostering innovation across key sectors such as education, health, agriculture, and governance.

The Joint Secretary Bhrigu Dhungana from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted the long-standing friendship and cooperation between Nepal and the Republic of Korea, emphasizing KOICA’s invaluable contributions in areas such as education, health, agriculture, and capacity building. He expressed appreciation for KOICA’s role in strengthening bilateral relations and supporting Nepal’s sustainable development goals.

He also conveyed the Ministry’s commitment to deepening this partnership in the future, envisioning even greater collaboration in advancing prosperity and resilience in Nepal.

Park Tae-young, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nepal, noted that KOICA’s 30-year journey in Nepal reflects the deep-rooted friendship and mutual trust between the two nations. He emphasized Korea’s continued commitment to supporting Nepal’s socio-economic development and highlighted the new project agreements as a symbol of shared progress and future cooperation.

Mr. Dhana Raj Acharya, Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City and Chief Guest of the event, congratulated KOICA on its milestone anniversary and praised its impactful contribution across diverse sectors. He commended KOICA’s strategic alignment with Nepal’s national development goals and reaffirmed the Government of Nepal’s readiness to work closely with KOICA to expand the reach and sustainability of future programs.

As KOICA reflects on its three decades of development engagement in Nepal, it renews its commitment to building a more inclusive, resilient, and prosperous future in close partnership with the Government of Nepal and local communities.

Since 1991, the Government of the Republic of Korea, through KOICA, has been a key development partner of Nepal, supporting various sectors such as health, education, agriculture, vocational training, rural development, IT, and tourism. KOICA has dispatched 2,921 volunteers to government institutions across the country.

Additionally, over 2,230 Nepalese officials have participated in KOICA’s fellowship programs. KOICA collaborates with businesses, CSOs, universities, and foreign agencies to help Nepal achieve its SDGs. Since Nepal was designated a priority country for KOICA in 2010, support has significantly increased, and by 2025, KOICA’s total assistance surpassed USD 200 million.

This progress has been further strengthened through a framework agreement on development cooperation, reinforcing the strong and growing friendship between the two nations.

$29 Million Grant Agreement Signed

The most important session of the event was the signing of three major project agreements that mark KOICA’s strategic priorities for the years ahead. The first was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Ghanshyam Upadhyaya, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, and Park Tae-Young, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Nepal, for the establishment of the Gandaki Institute of Technology, a USD 9 million project to be implemented from 2025 to 2030.

This was followed by Record of Discussion signings for two new projects. The Value Chain Development Project (Phase II) in Lumbini Province, with the budget of USD 10 million to be initiated from 2025 to 2031 signed between Hari Bahadur K.C., Joint Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and Mooheon Kong, Country Director of KOICA. Similarly, the Establishment of the Sudurpaschim Polytechnic Institute, with a budget of USD 10 million, was signed between Shiva Kumar Sapkota, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and Mooheon Kong, Country Director of KOICA that is scheduled for implementation between 2025 and 2030.