[10 March 2019] — Myanmar economic growth has been encouraging in recent years and the business environment for domestic and investors have been continuously improved. Myanmar has signed up to the 2030 Agenda and has approved the Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan (MSDP). Nevertheless, the framework conditions and the provision of services in Myanmar for the integration of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) into value chains are inadequate.  In such a context, GIZ’s project “Strengthening capacities of the private sector in Myanmar” (PSD) aims to improve the framework conditions and the provision of services for the integration of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) into value chains.

The Myanmar Investment Promotion Plan (MIPP) is the Union level investment promotion plan, which was launched in 2018. Directorate for Investment and Company Administration (DICA) takes the secretariat role at the Investment Promotion Committee (IPC) at the Union level to implement the MIPP. In order to achieve the targets of the MIPP and contribute to the Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan (MSDP), GIZ is planning to support the regional investment promotion plan in Shan State as a pilot region. Shan State has a high potential in agriculture, tourism and natural resources, and it is the project area of PSD since 2014. The project aims at elaborating the roadmap for the development of the Shan State Investment Promotion Plan.

In support of this effort, Economica Vietnam has been requested by DICA and GIZ to support the development of the Shan State Investment Promotion Plan. As the first step. Economica Vietnam will support the elaboration of the roadmap for the development of the Shan State Investment Promotion plan, implementation of an assessment of the capacities of the DICA division of investment promotion at Headquarters, as well as of the DICA Shan State branch. 

This is part of the overall support by GIZ supports the Directorate for Investment and Company Administration (DICA), which is under the authority of the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations, with a range of capacity building measures to strengthen the technical and organizational capacities of its staff, to improve the regulatory framework in this field, and to reduce the administrative burden for the private sector in Myanmar.

Economica Vietnam has been working with GIZ in providing technical assistance to DICA and multiple government agencies in Myanmar in the last 5 years, especially in the field of SME development, business registration reforms, investment procedure reforms. Many of the products, publications as a result of the support by Economica Vietnam can be found at www.dica.gov.mm.