Yen Bai Focusing on Investment and Business Environment Improvement

On 16 October, Yen Bai Province People’s Committee collaborated with VCCI to organize the workshop on “Improving the investment and business environment and provincial competitiveness”. The workshop was attended by 200 delegates including representatives from the North West Steering Committee, VCCI, Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), experts from Vietnam Competitiveness Initiative (VNCI), delegates from Phu Tho, Bac Ninh provinces, leaders of Yen Bai province, involved Departments, sectors and enterprises in the province.

In his opening speech, Mr Ta Van Long, Standing Deputy Chairman of Yen Bai People’s Committee, pointed out some major points about the investment and business environment and PCI (Provincial Competitiveness Index) of Yen Bai in the current period. Accordingly, Yen Bai’s PCI has witnessed significant improvement during recent years. In 2011, Yen Bai was ranked 14/63 provinces and listed among provinces with good PCI. Areas considered as strengths of Yen Bai and contribute to its PCI improvement include legal institution, land access, unofficial expenses and dynamism.

 

Within the framework of the discussion, Mr Dau Anh Tuan, Acting Director of Legal Department of VCCI, presented an analysis in which he assessed factors related to PCI of Yen Bai during the past years. His presentation positioned and pointed out the specific position of component factors of PCI of the province, identifying strengths and limitations which needed enhancing in coming time, particularly acceleration of FDI mobilisation.

 

Delegates believed that in order to further improve and upgrade the PCI in 2012 and years to come, it is necessary that Yen Bai focus more resources to bring about strong changes in such important but still weak areas as transparency, labor training and time expense, etc. The content of presentations made by departments, sectors and other localities concentrated on clarifying issues like establishing and improving investment and business environment for enterprises and citizens; quickly tackling existing problems of investors and enterprises and propagandizing about the role of PCI in socio-economic development, etc.

 

Dr Nguyen Dinh Cung, Deputy Director of CIEM, identified urgent issues which needed dealing with in order to improve PCI as well as socio-economic development of Yen Bai. Accordingly, Yen Bai will need to have great determination, political willingness from highest ranking officials and all the others working in different departments and agencies for the successful implementation of the mission of renovating the investment and business environment. FDI attraction was figured out as an investment promotion method which needed attention especially when public investment is being reduced by the Government.

 

A number of major solutions were drawn at the workshop, including: enhancing transparency and openness of legal procedures, regulations and information; simplifying administrative procedures, improving working efficiency of state officials; organising dialogues between enterprises and local authority with a view to providing timely solutions to encountered difficulties on a regular basis; accelerating propagation and dissemination of information for citizens and enterprises; and upgrading websites and portals of the province. On behalf of the People’s Committee of Yen Bai, Mr Ta Van Long expressed his openness to experience and opinions shared by experts and representatives as well as made commitment to studying and applying such results in reality.