Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC) organized the Secretary Colloquium on 15th July 2025. The theme of this high-level colloquium was “Enhancing Development Performance and Government Efficiency”, and it brought together most of the serving secretaries of the Government of Nepal for an in-depth dialogue on improving governance, public procurement, and service delivery.
Chief Secretary Mr. Eaknarayan Aryal chaired the program. The event commenced with a warm welcome by Mr. Trilochan Pokharel, Senior Director of Studies at NASC. He emphasized the role of collaborative dialogue among senior bureaucrats in shaping reform strategies and fostering institutional learning.
Mr. Ramsharan Pudasaini, Executive Director of NASC, delivered the opening remarks. He highlighted the objective of the program and invited the paper presenters.
The first paper “Development Performance: Improving Public Procurement Efficiency” was presented by Mr. Maniram Gelal, former Secretary of the Government of Nepal. He delved into the systemic challenges faced in public procurement, ranging from procedural delays and limited capacity to transparency concerns. Mr. Gelal stressed the importance of timely procurement, adoption of e-GP systems, capacity-building of procurement officers, case-based process and institutional accountability to enhance development delivery.
The second paper, “Governance Effectiveness and Improving Public Services”, was presented by Dr. Rajan Khanal, former Executive Director of NASC and former Secretary of GoN. He underscored the need for rethinking traditional bureaucratic practices to align with evolving citizen expectations, which is the "smart governance." He also discussed the drivers that bring the desired changes.
Following the paper presentations, the floor was opened for an engaging plenary discussion among the participating secretaries. The session was moderated by Chief Secretary Mr. Aryal, who guided the discussion with thoughtful interventions. Secretaries raised critical questions, shared practical challenges, and exchanged reform ideas based on their diverse field experiences.
In his concluding remarks, Chief Secretary Mr. Aryal urged all secretaries to reflect on how they are individually and collectively contributing to system-wide improvement. He emphasized that genuine transformation starts with each public leader questioning their role. He further assured that the Office of the Chief Secretary stands ready to support innovative and practical ideas proposed by secretaries. Notably, he encouraged NASC to prepare a short and actionable report summarising key recommendations from the colloquium and further research, especially focusing on public service reform, procurement system enhancement, and effective technology integration in governance.
Executive Director Mr. Pudasaini concluded the event by expressing sincere gratitude to all the dignitaries, presenters, participants and NASC family . The colloquium provided a valuable space for high-level reflection, learning, and consensus-building, and stands as a an evidence to the shared commitment of Nepal’s civil service leadership toward achieving excellence in governance.
