Nepal Compact

Podcast Episode
Nepal Compact Ratification
MCC’s Aysha House, VP of Congressional and Public Affairs speaks to, Fatema Sumar VP of the Department of Compact Operations about the journey to compact ratification in Nepal, why it was challenging, and what it means for MCC and the U.S. government.
Features of the Nepal Compact
Sustainable and Climate-Smart
Expanding Opportunities for All
Better access to reliable electricity means more students can study at night, hospitals can provide better care and businesses can grow and thrive; and improved roads will make travel cheaper, the movement of goods easier and safer for drivers, travelers, and commuters along Nepal’s road networks.
Country Led and Owned
The Government of Nepal identified the Nepali people’s need for more widely available and reliable electricity and safer roads and directed MCC projects to focus on these national priorities. Nepal itself, through MCA-Nepal (a Government of Nepal-owned Development Board [Bikas Samiti]) will implement the project, with MCC oversight and assistance. Host country ownership is a feature of all MCC compact programs around the world.
Unlock Private Investment
MCC compacts fund specific projects targeted at reducing poverty and stimulating economic growth. Our programs help countries draw in and unlock private capital, which reduces risk and improves investment environments to create new business and trade opportunities that underpin economic growth.
In September 2017, the U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) signed a $500 million compact with the Government of Nepal. The compact aims to maintain road quality, increase the availability and reliability of electricity, and facilitate cross-border electricity trade between Nepal and India—helping to spur investments, accelerate economic growth, and reduce poverty.
Nepal faces extensive economic development challenges caused by an inadequate supply of electricity and high transportation costs to move both goods and people. The MCC Nepal Compact marks a new chapter in the U.S.-Nepal Partnership and is designed to increase the availability of electricity and lower the cost of transportation in Nepal. It will help support the Government of Nepal to better deliver critical services to its people, ease the movement of goods around the country, and open new opportunities for private investment—all to create sustainable development for the people of Nepal. Strengthening the reliability of key infrastructure will put the country’s economy on a firmer growth trajectory, advance stability, support regional security, and reduce poverty.
An additional $130 million contribution from the Government of Nepal in support of the compact—the largest up-front partner country contribution in MCC’s history—will enable even greater impact and benefits for the Nepali people.
Financials
Compact Budget
Milestones
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Signed:
September 14, 2017
Compact Projects
As of September 15, 2022