Creating opportunities for Nghe An to become an attractive investment destination from Japan.
(Baonghean.vn) - At the bilateral business networking event, leaders of Nghe An province had frank discussions with partners from Japan, and also connected market information and production and business cooperation partners between Japanese businesses and businesses in Nghe An province.
On the afternoon of August 22nd, in Vinh City, the People's Committee of Nghe An province, in collaboration with Brain Works Group (BWG), organized the Nghe An - Japan Business Networking Conference (67th EGA Business Conference).
Attending the conference were Mr. Naomichi Murooka - Deputy Chief Representative of the JICA Vietnam Office; Kondo Noboru - CEO of Brain Works Group, along with 20 organizations and businesses from Japan.
Representing Nghe An province were Mr. Nguyen Nam Dinh - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Provincial Agencies Bloc; Mr. Le Ngoc Hoa - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Thien - former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics, Deputy Head of the Economic and Social Development Advisory Group for the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, along with 70 businesses from various industries and sectors operating in Nghe An.
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| 120 delegates from Japan and Nghe An attended the conference. Photo: Thu Giang |
Creating an open space for businesses to network.
In his opening remarks, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Ngoc Hoa affirmed that the conference was an opportunity for Nghe An province to introduce and promote its potential and investment opportunities to the Japanese business community, and also an opportunity for Nghe An businesses to connect, exchange knowledge, and lay the foundation for investment and business activities with the business community from Japan.
Currently, Nghe An province has 8 FDI projects from Japan with a total investment of over 92 million USD. Investment sectors include: limestone mining, food processing, garment manufacturing, component production, waste treatment, and infrastructure. Japan is also currently the largest ODA donor to Nghe An, with a total of 44 projects funded by Japan in Nghe An to date, totaling 5,070 billion VND.
Provincial leaders added that Nghe An currently has nearly 12,000 businesses operating effectively. In 2018, Nghe An's Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) ranked 19th out of 63 provinces and cities, leading the North Central region. Regarding trade, in 2018, export turnover between Nghe An businesses and Japanese partners reached US$22.13 million, including garments, various types of stone, handicrafts, wood, wood products, seafood, fruits and fruit juices, salt, and resin; import turnover reached US$13.1 million, including machinery and equipment, telephones and telephone components, raw materials for production, and salt. Regarding labor, Nghe An is one of the localities with a large number of citizens working in Japan, with approximately 3,000-4,000 workers per year…
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| Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Ngoc Hoa delivered the opening speech at the conference. Photo: Thu Giang |
“We aspire to create an open space for the business communities of Nghe An and Japan to interact, connect, and invest in business; and at the same time, receive valuable feedback from investors so that Nghe An province can further improve its efforts in connecting and supporting businesses in the future,” the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee stated, emphasizing the common goal of benefiting businesses, ensuring the rapid and sustainable development of Nghe An province, providing Nghe An's children with good income and jobs, and contributing to building a more prosperous, beautiful, and civilized Nghe An, truly worthy of being a center in over 10 sectors of the North Central region.
Strongly promote cooperation between Nghe An and Japan.
Within the framework of the conference, delegates heard a speech by Mr. Kondo Noboru - CEO of BWG - on the theme "Building the Future of the Earth Together: New Cooperation Between Emerging Countries and Japan," affirming that the 67th EGA Business Conference held in Nghe An is an opportunity for exchange and connection between businesses in Nghe An and businesses from Japan.
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| Associate Professor Dr. Tran Dinh Thien - former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics, Deputy Head of the Economic and Social Development Advisory Group of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province - urged Japanese investors to accelerate their efforts so as not to miss investment opportunities in the promising land of Nghe An. Photo: Thu Giang |
Also at this event, in exchange with Japanese delegates, Associate Professor Dr. Tran Dinh Thien affirmed that Vietnam has emerged as a "star" in attracting investment in recent years. The State highly values the role of the private economic sector and has been implementing strong reforms in policies and institutions, changing its FDI attraction strategy towards strategic, long-term, and high-quality investors, with Japanese investors being one of the typical examples.
The former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics and currently the Deputy Head of the Advisory Team to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee added that Nghe An has its own strengths in the eyes of foreign investors. In the coming time, the province's orientation is to consider Japan as one of the leading strategic investors, and it is eager and ready to welcome Japanese investors.
Meanwhile, JICA representatives in Vietnam assessed that Nghe An has very high potential in the agricultural sector, suggesting that the province should focus on its strong agricultural products, delve deeper into the field, and introduce high technology to elevate Nghe An's agricultural products to a higher level and increase their value.
“JICA hopes to help Nghe An become an attractive destination for Japanese investment, not only in agriculture but also in tourism and many other fields,” said Murooka, Deputy Chief Representative of the JICA Vietnam Office.
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| The presiding committee held discussions with Japanese and Nghe An businesses at the conference. Photo: Thu Giang |
The conference also included a Q&A session between the presiding panel, comprising Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Ngoc Hoa, Director of the Department of Science and Technology Tran Quoc Thanh, BWG Executive Director, and Deputy Chief Representative of the JICA Vietnam Office, and Japanese and Nghe An businesses.
Many opinions agreed with and welcomed Nghe An province's initiative to organize the "Nghe An - Japan Business Connection Conference," viewing it as a valuable opportunity to meet and connect information. Many delegates engaged in lively discussions, sharing information, assessing the situation, and proposing measures to strongly promote cooperation between Nghe An and Japan. Some delegates expressed their desire for Nghe An to continue to accelerate administrative reform, improve the investment environment, and create favorable conditions for businesses...
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| Representatives of Japanese businesses interested in Nghe An's products were showcased and introduced on the sidelines of the conference. Photo: Thu Giang |
On the sidelines of the conference, lively exchanges, meetings, and networking took place, demonstrating the significant need and potential for cooperation between the parties in the future.
