Essay
Small and Successful
In a landscape strewn with tottering aid projects, Small Business Promotion Project sets an example
Poor productivity continues to hobble the Nepalese economy in spite of three decades of experimenting with a variety of development strategies. During this period, the country's national output has risen an average of 2 percent annually, the lowest in South Asia, and even today, the industry (including construction) accounts for a mere 13 percent of the GNP. No doubt that the country's disadvantageous terrain and poor resource base are largely to blame, but it is also true that a lot of good money has been wasted on unfeasible aid projects that petered out about the same time as the donor's money did.