Phongsaly Provincial Business Forum

Phongsaly Province, 28 May 2022, the Phongsaly Provincial Division of Industry and Commerce in cooperation with Phongsaly Provincial Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized  the  Phongsaly Provincial Business Forum supported from the ECL Project which is funded by the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF).

The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Manothong Vongsay, Ph.D., Deputy Minister, Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Mr. Visone Laomao, Vice Governor of Phongsaly Province . There were more than 56  Participants (07 women) participated this meeting from both public and private sectors.

Primary objective of the meeting was to report the progress on the implementation of the public-private dialogue mechanism and to seek appropriate solutions from the top- level government officials.

The Vice Governor of Phongsaly Province stated on the opening remark that the implementation of the public-private dialogue mechanism at local level is very significance to increase the cooperation between public and private sectors, it is a platform to exchange information, and brainstorms for joint solutions for the issues.   

The Deputy Minister of Ministry of Industry and Commerce emphasized in his remark on the removal of the covid 19 restrictions and the needs to influence quality, diverse, and sustainable investment that requires a good business environment and the capacity to be competitive in international market.     

The Director of Phongsaly Provincial Department of Industry and Commerce reported on the progress of implementation of the public-private dialogue mechanism at local level, which began in 2019 and implemented 07 dialogues, which could identified 25 priority issues and 17 were solved. In addition, the Director also reported on the challenges on implementation of the dialogue and proposed to improve some related legislations. 

The President of Phonsaly Provincial Chamber of Commerce and Industry summarized the priority issues to the meeting, which defined into 3 groups:  1.  Issues related to trade facilitation, 2. Issues related to VAT, fees, and plantation registration, and 3. Issue related to drug and implementation of regulations.  

In his closing remark, the Vice Governor of Phongsaly Province reiterated the meeting’s discussions and expressed his great gratitude toward the active contribution of the participants.

The meeting was supported by ECL Project which is funded by the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF). EIF is an Aid for Trade partnership in action for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The ECL Project intends to promote private sector-led economic growth in the least developed Northern Region of the country in response to the Government’s eight National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP). The project consists of three components: Improvement of the local business environment, Enhancement of productivity and exports of critical sectors, and project management.