10 reasons why Chandra Dhakal is favorite to win FNCCI election

KATHMANDU: With the annual general meeting of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) underway and the election scheduled for Saturday, the largest body representing the private sector will get new executive committee under the leadership of president-elect Shekhar Golchha from Sunday.

As the FNCCI statute has a provision whereby FNCCI’s senior vice-president will directly be elected as the organization’s president for next term, the race for FNCCI senior vice-president post is at the center of attraction and industrialists Chandra Prasad Dhakal and Kishore Pradhan are vying for the post.

While both candidates for the senior vice-president post at FNCCI are claiming to win the election, here are 10 points elaborating why Chandra Prasad Dhakal, who is also the Chairman of IME Group, is favorite to win FNCCI election.

1. Chandra Prasad Dhakal, who has been successfully leading dozens of businesses, is an established businessman in Nepal’s private sector. Only a successful person in his business can lead FNCCI, which is a representative organization of thousands of small, medium and large businesses. One cannot be sure whether a person with a weak business background will be able to lead the largest organization of the private sector.
2. Entrepreneurs across the country, from small to medium and large, have seen Dhakal as their common candidate. He had earlier been elected unopposed as an associate vice-president of FNCCI. Dhakal is backed by former presidents of FNCCI, senior business people and industrialists at the local level throughout the country.
3. Dhakal had served in the FNCCI and his contribution as the chairman of the Employers’ Council is notable. He is also a person who is aware of the problems of the general industrialists and business people and is able to take the initiative to come up with viable solutions.
4. Dhakal has focused on uplifting the private sector in his agenda. From helping businesses and the economy cope with the COVID-19 pandemic to the economic sector of Nepal, he has expressed commitment to create an investment-friendly environment in Nepal.
5. Starting his journey through a small business, Dhakal can easily understand the issues of small and medium entrepreneurs. He can take effective initiatives to resolve their problems. Dhakal has the ability to take forward complex issues to the level of policy makers.
6. Dhakal is a man who believes in collective leadership. He has a unique ability to bring everyone together. He is accompanied by an experienced, expert and capable team. His team is committed to taking the federation to new heights.
7. Dhakal has also fulfilled the responsibility of efficient guardianship in addressing the problems of entrepreneurs. Chakra Adhikari, president of Udyog Vanijya Sangha Kohalpur and Kishor Acharya, central member of the federation, have always praised Dhakal for his rescue work day and night.
8. Dhakal is strong in terms of experience and ability to develop an organization like FNCCI as an expert organization, to advocate for meaningful partnership and policy making with the state, to develop the overall private sector of Nepal inclusively and to enhance FNCCI’s institutional capacity. He has received many national and international honors from the government, including Critical Business Person (CIP), Kantipur Year 2070.
9. Despite being a senior in terms of age and time spent at the federation, Dhakal has moved forward to lead the private sector with a new, inclusive and capable youth team. He says that age is not the only standard for leadership claims.
10. After getting elected, most of the industrialists and business people have been accused of forgetting the election agenda and assurances and prioritizing only their business and doing politics. Due to the nature of his businesses and his extensive business network, Dhakal cannot stay away from industrialists and business people of the country.