Kathmandu-Following the formation of a majority government led by a single political party and growing political stability in Nepal, interest from both bilateral and multilateral institutions has increased.

Alongside Nepal’s traditional allies and neighbouring countries, development donor agencies have also shown growing diplomatic interest in the country.

According to government officials, senior representatives from major multilateral institutions that provide significant financial assistance to Nepal are preparing to visit the country. Preparations are reportedly underway for visits by two major donor institutions.

Officials say there is a growing possibility of high level visits to Nepal by the top leadership of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

Apart from routine loan agreement signings and visits by mid level staff, high level visits to Nepal from these institutions have been rare. Nepali officials, however, have continued to invite top leadership figures to visit the country.

Officials say senior representatives from both institutions are likely to visit Nepal within the next three to four months, provided preparations move ahead smoothly. The visits will depend on the Nepal government’s response and coordination.

“If even the country’s top executive leadership is available to hold meetings, the visits could become much easier. They are already positive about coming,” one official said. The visits will be coordinated by both the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The President of the Asian Development Bank is likely to visit Nepal between July and August. Nepal has not witnessed a visit of this level from the ADB in a long time. As Nepal’s oldest and one of its largest multilateral development partners, preparations are also underway for major project agreements to coincide with the high level visit. Though still at an early stage, groundwork has already begun.

Similarly, a significant high level visit from the World Bank Group is also expected around the same period. During the previous Nepal Communist Party government, a Vice President of the World Bank Group had visited Nepal. This time, however, officials say there is a possibility of a visit by a senior official directly involved at the operational level.

The Nepali side has also begun preparations for major agreements to be signed during both visits.

The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank remain Nepal’s primary sources of external financing. Together, the two institutions contribute around 70 percent of Nepal’s external development financing. In recent years, these institutions have also increased investment in large scale physical infrastructure projects, while continuing to provide long term loans at concessional interest rates.