CNI’s origin was based on the widespread belief that the industrial community of Nepal urgently needed an effective representative body that would serve as a true platform to address many issues plaguing the Nepalese industries. There was need for a modern professional body with well-trained and experienced professional staff that would be fully supported by the latest technological advancements. In addition, it had to be well connected with suitable regional and global organizations such as the World Economic Forum and other international Chambers. This body would thus be capable of not only providing useful policy inputs to the government but also ensuring the implementation of the same.
This organization focuses on the businesses which are the substantial sectoral leaders of today’s economy. These would include businesses from all sectors (with local or foreign investments) and would be all-encompassing in terms of geography as well as the nature of the business, be it manufacturing, tourism, financial services, exports, infrastructure, health or education. After much speculation in the country’s business community, the apex body of Nepalese industrialists, the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), was established by the captains of Nepal’s Industrial and corporate sector on April 17, 2002.
To play a lead role in making the country's industrial sector vibrant, resilient as well as globally competitive and to promote an investment-friendly environment to achieve a sustainable double-digit economic growth.
The primary working area of CNI includes encouraging positive competition and competent management among the industries, promoting domestic and foreign investment and creating employment opportunities in the country's industrial and corporate sectors.
To provide meaningful policy inputs to the government in the area of industrial development, investment and export promotion, trade facilitation, industrial relation being a "Think Tank" of country's economic and industrial sector.
The principal objective of CNI is to encourage positive competition and competent management among the industries while promoting domestic and foreign investment and creating employment opportunities in the country’s industrial and corporate sectors. Apart from this, CNI has identified the following specific goals and is working towards achieving the same:
Economic reforms in the country started in the mid 1980s. The reforms were intensified and augmented in the early 1990s after the restoration of democracy in 1990. Since the early nineties, Nepal has implemented extensive legal and policy reforms to facilitate its integration with the global economy. Like many other developing countries, Nepal also pursued an inward looking and state-led development strategy. However, the impact of these reforms on trade, economic growth and foreign direct investment (FDI) needs to be strengthened. Political instability, lower literacy rate, under-utilization of available resources, geographical difficulty, etc. are some of the reasons behind Nepal being unable to attract a large number of investors. Unlike other years, this year the Covid 19 pandemic has largely hampered domestic as well as foreign investment performance. Despite these challenges, CNI believes that Nepal can build the economy through its privileged geographical access to two economic giants as its neighboring countries with huge markets, young population, flourishing local entrepreneurial culture and expanded networking and economic diplomacy at national and international levels. With abundant natural resources.