JICA President Dr. Tanaka Akihiko, who is on an official visit to Nepal, met Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle at the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday to discuss bilateral development cooperation.

During the meeting, Dr. Tanaka expressed interest in the priorities of Nepal's new government and reaffirmed Japan's commitment to strengthening its long-standing development partnership with Nepal.

In response, Finance Minister Wagle highlighted the government's recently announced budget priorities, emphasizing improving public service delivery through good governance, creating a business-friendly environment for the private sector, and advancing economic reforms.

He also appreciated Japan's continued support in Nepal's infrastructure development, social sector, and human resource development.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance hosted the signing of an Exchange of Notes and a Grant Agreement under the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS).

The Exchange of Notes was signed by Finance Secretary Dr. Ghanshyam Upadhyaya and Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Maeda Toru, while the Grant Agreement was signed by Joint Secretary Dr. Dhaniram Sharma of the International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division and JICA Nepal Chief Representative Matsuzaki Mizuki.

Under the agreement, the Government of Japan will provide Nepal with a grant of 410 million Japanese yen. The funding will support scholarships for Nepalese civil servants to pursue Master's and PhD degrees at leading universities in Japan.

The scholarship program is expected to strengthen Nepal's public administration by enhancing the capacity of government officials in policy formulation, governance, and development management.