Kathmandu— The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) on Wednesday launched the K-Connect: Promoting the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Nepal initiative. The event brought together beneficiaries of KOICA-supported projects along with government officials, investors, mentors, and development partners to strengthen Nepal’s startup and business ecosystem. The initiative aims to improve entrepreneurs’ access to knowledge, networks, and financing while promoting innovation, sustainable business growth, and job creation.

K-HaMi Project Progress

Under the Korea Returnee Migrants Reintegration (K-HaMi) Project, more than 15,000 returnee migrant workers have received technical, reintegration, and financial literacy training. Additionally, 195 participants completed entrepreneurship training. KOICA is providing USD 2.5 million in interest subsidies to improve access to business loans, with around 300 returnee workers expected to benefit.

Climate Smart Agriculture Project

KOICA has supported the establishment of 109 climate-smart agribusinesses in Nepal’s Terai region through its Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Project. More than 5,300 beneficiaries have been assisted through grants and entrepreneurship training, leading to the creation of 343 green jobs. The agency has allocated USD 1.5 million to the Terai Agribusiness and Enterprise Challenge Fund (TAECF).

(With inputs from My Republica)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.