The Private Sector Working Group Meetings in Champasak for the Tourism and Agriculture Sectors

On July 14th – 15th, 2021, in Pakse Champasak Province. The Champsak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), in association with the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI), organized two-day Private Sector Working Group Meetings for businesses in the tourism and agriculture sectors. These meetings were supported by the USAID Laos Business Environment Project. The main objective was to assist businesses in identifying and prioritizing issues that impede their business operations. These prioritized issues will then be submitted to the concerned ministries and departments for follow-up action.

The meeting was chaired by the President of CCCI, Ms. Bounheung Carol Litdang, and co-chaired by Mr. Phouxay Thepphavong, Secretary General of LNCCI. Participants included representatives from tourism- related business associations and their members such as the hotel and restaurant associations; Champasak travel associations; tour guide associations; transportation companies; operators of tourist sites and attractions; and coffee-related businesses.

During the opening session, the CCCI President urged the private sector to discuss their issues in a frank and open manner. She emphasized the point that this meeting serves as an important platform for the Champasak private sector, and they should take full advantage of this platform to propose any issues that affect the growth of their businesses, particularly government policies, rules and regulations.

The LNCCI Secretary General explained to the participants that the Private Sector Working Group (PSWG) meeting is a structured dialogue process under the Local Public-Private Dialogue (LPPD) mechanism that allows businesses to debate and select priority issues to be raised at the subsequent level of LPPD – the Public-Private Sector Consultation meeting.

Common issues identified by businesses from both sectors included: unfavorable terms and conditions for business loans, particularly the SME Fund; inconsistent laws and regulations at the provincial level; high administrative costs; and shortages of skilled labor in the agriculture sector. Many issues raised by the participants were related to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Tourism businesses claimed that the only way to boost the sector’s recovery is to ensure that the majority of the population is vaccinated so that Laos can open its borders. Agriculture businesses also noted that cross-border transportation remains a major problem as the ongoing lockdown has significantly increased transportation costs.

The USAID Laos Business Environment Project will continue to support the Champasak LPPD mechanism to ensure that the perspectives of provincial-level businesses are reflected in Lao PDR’s business environment reform agenda.
The USAID Laos Business Environment Project assists the Government of Laos to enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises while strengthening the business environment in Laos.

For more information, please contact:
USAID Laos Business Environment Project
Ms. Saysamone Srithirath, Communications Lead
E: ssrithirath@ibi-worldwide.com | www.ibi-worldwide.com
T: +856 20 5632 4964