ViB Forum had a talk with Mr Hiroaki Nakagawa, Resident Representative of Japan International Cooperation AgencyVietnam Office (JICA )
Could you please highlight the contributions of JICA to the development of Vietnam in the recent years?
In 1992, JICA started its activities here by supporting Vietnam. After the official establishment of Vietnam Office in 1995, our activities have been diversified, expanded, and continuously improved to contribute effectively to the institutional improvement and socio-economic development in Vietnam.
JICA has been implementing its schemes and expanding its cooperation areas including promotion of growth and competitiveness; livelihood improvement and narrowing disparities; environment protection and Governance strengthening. JICA had its assistance at putting in place economic infrastructure in the fields of, transportation, electricity, and information technology; developing human resources that can support growth; and advancing economic institutional reforms, includinglaw and judicial system.
In the transportation cooperation, JICA helped Vietnam in many projects such as Hai VanTunnel, Hai Phong and Cai Lan Seaport, Bai Chay bridge, electric power plants such as Phu My, Pha Lai in order to boost economic growth..
In the field of institution building, putting in place systems to serve as the social foundations of Vietnam is important not only to achieve growth but also to overcome challenges in living and social conditions. JICA's assistance in this area targets the sectors of education, health, agricultural and rural development, regional development, urban development, and the environment. For example, JICA assisted medical technical for Bach Mai and Cho Ray and Hoa Binh hospitals as well as renovate primary schools etc.
Nearly 90 per cent of businesses in Vietnam are SMEs, could you explain how things could be improved to improve Vietnam’s SMEs?
Small and medium size enterprises in Vietnam have played a major role in supporting their national economy. Therefore, it is necessary to promote and enable environment conducive to SME development through consulting, providing training courses, which would improve SME capacity, competitiveness and its awareness in the context of WTO accession and Globalization. JICA started a lot of its assistance at improving the investment environment; promoting small and medium-sized enterprises and the private sector.
JICA will continue carrying out programmes and projects to support SMEs to attach with local economic development objectives, to create jobs and reduce poverty. It will implement economic region linking projects to take advantage of regional potentialities and advantages to support enterprises to develop the local economy.
For its part, what does JIca plan to do to contribute more to the development of Vietnam?
I have lived in Vietnam for two years. Even during that time, I have witnessed there is a widening gap between the rich and the poor, between urban and rural areas as well as between mountain areas and plains, between key and non-key economic development areas in Vietnam. The important thing is to narrow the gap in order not to cause social concern. To minimize the imbalanced living conditions between the rich and the poor, JICA has many special plans to improve rural living conditions in mountainous region, and productive technology in farms of small and medium scale.
JICA, in its activities, will continue to contribute to Vietnam, not only in economic aspect itself but also in a comprehensive and sustainable development, in which improvement of living and social conditions, narrowing the gap between the rich and poor and environment are of priority together with promotion of growth and institutional improvement.
You have lived in Hanoi for two years, what could you say on the occasion of Hanoi’s expansion by incorporating parts of its neighboring provinces?
For my part, Hanoi is a special capital with traditional and cultural heritage. The “New Hanoi” after expanding faces new challenges. Demand and supply gaps in urban infrastructure services such as transport, power, water supply and drainage etc. have been widening due to rapid urbanization.
The Hanoi People Committee started to draw up its urban zoning scheme and socio-economic development strategy, along with paying more attention to environment protection; cultural heritage conservation and improving living conditions and JICA would like to take part for the comprehensive and sustainable development in Hanoi.
We have also been providing technical assistance for the development of Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park - for accumulation and development of leading industries and research institutes and universities in order to have the highly profitable technology intensive products.
Reported by Tuan – Ly
JICA will complete a merge with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) in October 2008, as an aid donor agency providing technical cooperation. Concessionary loans and giant aid in a more integrated fashion. New JICA will thus provide comprehensive assistance for developing countries by making the most of broader range of aid instruments on an effective and efficient manner and a network of 100 overseas offices around the world.
Vietnamese
