Luangnamtha Provincial Business Forum

Luangnamtha Province, 13 September 2022, the Luangnamtha Provincial Department of Industry and Commerce in cooperation with Luangnamtha Provincial Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized the Luangnamtha Provincial Business Forum supported by the ECL Project which is funded by the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF).

The meeting was chaired by H.E. Dr. Manothong VONGSAY, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Industry and Commerce and co-chairs and Mr. Sangkhom CHANSOUK, Vice President of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry together with more than 50 Participants from both public and private sectors.

The primary objective of this meeting was to review progress of the public – private dialogue to resolve issues affecting start up and operations of businesses in Luangnamtha Province.

The half day meeting reviewed progress of the dialogue process since its inception two years ago and demonstrated broad support for structured dialogue under the Provincial Business Forum in identification and resolution of key issues affecting private sector at local level. Private sector speakers also complimented the provincial authority and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce for making concerted efforts in improving overall business environment to promote private investment at local level.
Since establishment of dialogue process under the Luangnamtha PBF, private sector and concerned government agencies identified 12 priority issues in areas of business entry, trade facilitation, access to financial services, enforcement of laws and regulations, and agribusiness for discussions, resulting in resolving 06 issues and making progress in the remaining issues.

The forum also agreed on concrete plan for actions to continue dialogue and seek appropriate solutions to the remaining 06 issues in the next twelve months.

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.