The 2016–2018 country operations business plan (COBP) maintains the strategic thrust of the country partnership strategy (CPS), 2013–2017 of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for Nepal, which focuses on infrastructure and human capital development to help attain high, employment-oriented, and sustainable growth. It applies sector selectivity and focus, with fewer but larger projects on (i) reforms and investments in hydropower generation, transmission, and distribution; (ii) highways and airports for regional integration (RCI); (iii) reforms and investments in the water utility of Kathmandu, and strategic urban planning and investments along economic corridors; (iv) enhancement of secondary and higher education, and skills development; and (v) agriculture policy reforms and market infrastructure investments.

The COBP also focuses on the five thematic drivers of the country partnership strategy: gender and social inclusion, governance, climate change, private sector development, and RCI. ADB operations will be underpinned by a close partnership with the government, reform and investment road maps coordinated with development partners, and new financing modalities—e.g., multitranche financing facility (MFF), results-based lending, and public–private partnerships (PPPs).