Three ministers have expressed a common commitment to reform existing laws to create a more conducive environment for investment and development and to spur economic activity.

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sobita Gautam, Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal and Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle appeared on the same platform at a workshop on “Legal Reforms for Investment and Development” organised by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development on Friday as part of preparations for the Nepal Infrastructure Conference 2026.

They agreed on the need to make laws more development- and business-friendly to accelerate economic activity. Finance Minister Wagle said the government was amending laws based on suggestions from the private sector.

“We are introducing 27 new laws in the current fiscal year as part of economic reforms,” Wagle said. “Since becoming finance minister, I have initiated the process of repealing old Acts and drafting new laws.”

Wagle said 15 outdated Acts were repealed within half an hour of his assuming office as finance minister. He stressed that the government had also moved ahead with legal amendments that the private sector had been demanding for years.

He acknowledged that the economic reform process faced various challenges, saying it would take time to dismantle entrenched practices that had allowed the state to be exploited by capturing policies and institutions.

The government aims to achieve 7 percent economic growth over the coming decade and expand the size of Nepal’s economy to $100 billion, Wagle said.

“Government representatives have said that simply replicating past development models will not be possible if Nepal is to achieve sustained economic growth,” he said. “We need to focus on new economic opportunities in the 21st century.”

Infrastructure Minister Lamsal said the government was seeking to create a more favourable environment for development and investment by reforming existing laws.

Lamsal said legal measures would be taken to address problems affecting investment and development.

“The government is focused on drafting citizen-friendly laws,” he said. “An Act is the mirror of a country. The kind of laws we make determines the kind of nation we become.”

He said the workshop would play an important role in efforts to make infrastructure development more dynamic and effective and identify necessary reforms.

“If you look at the Urban Development Act, you can see the kind of cities we have; similarly, the kind of Education Act we have is reflected in our schools,” Lamsal said. “The results appear to depend on the laws we make.”

He said the government was seeking to improve laws that are currently being revised.

“We need to study the drafts we have prepared word by word and think about how to make the laws even better,” Lamsal said. “When we were passing the Public Procurement Act, the Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal came up with a suggestion, but we did not adopt it because it did not amount to a policy departure.”

He said the government nevertheless studied the suggestions submitted by stakeholders.

Law Minister Gautam said the government had designated the current fiscal year as the “Year of Lawmaking and Reform” and set a target of registering 166 bills in Parliament.

Gautam said the government had accelerated the drafting and reform of laws in line with its policy priorities.

The lawmaking process involves the government preparing and registering government bills, while Parliament is responsible for passing them, she stressed.

Around 54 bills have already been approved by the Cabinet since the beginning of the current fiscal year. Those bills are in the process of being registered in Parliament, the minister said.

“The government has worked out clear policy positions on the future direction of development and reforms required by various ministries, the necessary legal reforms have been identified and work has been initiated accordingly,” Gautam said.

She said the rapid process of lawmaking and reform should focus on investment and development in the infrastructure sector.

“Financial resources alone are not sufficient for a country to achieve economic prosperity,” she said. “It also needs the right policies, capable institutions and effective structures.”

She said the workshop organised by the infrastructure ministry to discuss legal reforms with investment and development at the centre was a positive start to the broader law reform process.

The workshop, which runs until Sunday, is organised in partnership with the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Confederation of Nepalese Industries, the Nepal Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal. It is a part of preparations for the Nepal Infrastructure Conference 2026.

Nepal Chamber of Commerce President Kamlesh Kumar Agrawal said necessary legal and policy reforms were needed to prioritise infrastructure development, enhance competitiveness and support economic growth.

He stressed the need to make legal procedures for infrastructure development simpler, clearer and more transparent.

“At a time when the global economy is changing rapidly, modern and reliable infrastructure is indispensable for advancing investment, technology, production, trade, tourism, employment and economic activity,” he said.

Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal President Nicholas Pandey said the infrastructure conference was directly linked to the country’s economic prosperity.

He praised the government’s efforts to formulate infrastructure-friendly laws ahead of the conference, but said the construction sector continued to face obstacles arising from laws related not only to public procurement but also forests, banking, arbitration and other areas.