November 23: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Mukhtor Khamudkhanov as its new country director for Nepal.

Issuing a press statement on Thursday, November 23, the ADB confirmed  that Khamudkhanov will replace the outgoing Country Director Kenichi Yokoyama, who served in Nepal from 2011.

ADB said in the statement that 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.

“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,” the statement quoted Khamudkhanov as saying.

Khamudkhanov is an Uzbek national who joined ADB in 2001 holds a PhD in Technology (Electrical Engineering) from Tashkent State Technical University, Uzbekistan.

The statement further reads that ADB has provided the country with $5 billion in public and private sector loans, technical assistance, and grants. ADB was established in 1966.