Mukhtor Khamudkhanov is new ADB country director for Nepal

Kathmandu, The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Mukhtor Khamudkhanov as new Country Director for Nepal. 
Mr. Khamudkhanov will lead ADB operations in Nepal and oversee the formulation and implementation of ADB's Country Partnership Strategy, which aims to support the country's long-term development needs through infrastructure, human capital and private sector development, and regional integration and social inclusion, the ADB Country Office here stated. 
"ADB has an extended development partnership with Nepal," said Mr. Khamudkhanov. "My priority is to build on that partnership, work closely with the government, and effectively coordinate our country office's extensive support to the government's development agenda and poverty reduction efforts." 
Mr. Khamudkhanov, an Uzbek national, joined ADB in 2001 and has since held numerous leading positions. Prior to this appointment, he served as Principal Energy Specialist in the Energy Division for South Asia at ADB headquarters in Manila, Philippines. From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Khamudkhanov was Senior Energy Specialist and prior to that he held a position of Senior Policy and Planning Specialist in the Strategy and Policy Department. He has also served as Deputy Director and Chief Expert in the Division for Cooperation with International Financial and Economic Institutions in the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan. 
He holds a Ph.D. in Technology (Electrical Engineering) from Tashkent State Technical University, Uzbekistan, and a Master's degree in International Affairs (Economic Policy Management) from Columbia University, New York. He also holds a Master of Science degree in Financial Management from the University of London. 
Mr. Khamudkhanov replaces the outgoing Country Director Kenichi Yokoyama, who served in Nepal from 2011 and is now Country Director at ADB's India Resident Mission. 
Nepal is a founding member of ADB, which, to date, has provided the country with $5 billion in public and private sector loans, technical assistance, and grants. 
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, ADB is celebrating 50 years of development partnership in the region. It is owned by 67 members-48 from the region. In 2016, ADB assistance totaled $31.7 billion, including $14 billion in co-financing. 
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