Partnering with businesses

Recognizing that business development is a crucial factor in promoting socio -economic progress, the province has implemented many practical solutions to effectively support business development and overcome difficulties.

To date, the Business-Entrepreneur Coffee Program, organized by the Provincial People's Committee in the middle of each month, has become a forum where businesses share information about problems encountered in production, investment, and business, as well as administrative obstacles that need to be resolved.

Businesses present their recommendations at the Business Coffee - Entrepreneur Program. Photo: KĐ

The case of a mining company is an example. Although it won the auction, the company could not operate the mine because it was not allowed to connect to National Highway 24 for transportation.

“The Provincial People's Committee has planned the mineral resources and put them up for auction; the company won the auction in 2019. The investment plan has been approved, but now when we apply for a mineral exploitation license, the Department of Transport says that this section of road is not allowed to be connected, therefore the license cannot be granted,” Mr. Huynh Thanh Tu, a representative of the company, reflected during a dialogue with provincial leaders.

After hearing the feedback, Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Kon Tum province, pointed out the shortcomings in the bidding process for construction material mines in the province and directed that the problems be resolved at their root.

“Don’t let investors suffer losses. This matter is assigned to the Department of Transport to guide investors through the procedures in the most streamlined way possible and then report back to the Provincial People’s Committee. From now on, all mines exploiting common construction materials must meet all conditions before being put up for auction. If they win the auction, they can proceed without any further obstacles. Previously, the process was incomplete; after the auction, implementation encountered issues with national defense and security land, forests, and land connections. This is unreasonable. From now on, this cannot be allowed to happen again,” Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan emphasized.

With government support, small businesses are confidently investing in production development. Photo: K.D.

The above is just one of many examples showing that the Business-Entrepreneur Coffee Program is where provincial leaders listen to, understand, share difficulties, and stand alongside businesses.

According to Mr. Truong Le Manh, Chairman of the Provincial Young Entrepreneurs Association, businesses in the province now have favorable conditions to meet with provincial leaders to seek investment opportunities or propose aspirations, present obstacles and difficulties through the monthly Business-Entrepreneur Coffee Program or through the dialogue program with businesses organized every six months.

The dialogue program and business-entrepreneur coffee sessions organized by the Provincial People's Committee are an effective information channel for the government to promptly understand and resolve difficulties and obstacles for businesses and investors in the most satisfactory way. "The provincial leaders are very open-minded, not hesitant, not evasive, and decisively direct the removal of bottlenecks hindering the production and business activities of enterprises within the authority of the Provincial People's Committee," Mr. Truong Le Manh commented.

From 2022 to the present, through dialogues and the Business-Entrepreneur Coffee Program, provincial leaders have recorded 136 issues that business representatives have raised with the province.

Simple obstacles are resolved on the spot. For complex issues involving multiple levels and sectors, provincial leaders clearly define responsibilities and assign specific tasks to each agency, unit, and locality to focus on resolving difficulties for businesses.

Of the 136 issues raised, 126 have been resolved, and the remaining 10 are still being addressed.

The province's spirit of accompanying and supporting businesses in overcoming difficulties and developing has been highly appreciated by the business community and investors. In April 2023, at the ceremony announcing the 2022 Provincial Competitiveness Index organized by the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry , Kon Tum surprised everyone by rising 24 places compared to 2021, ranking 37th out of 63 provinces and cities. This is the highest ranking the province has achieved in the past 16 years.

Thanks to the proactive approach of the provincial People's Committee leadership, the spirit of shared responsibility of functional departments and agencies, as well as local governments, the investment and business environment is becoming increasingly open and favorable. In the first nine months of 2023, 225 new enterprises and 53 cooperatives were established. The province also attracted 8 additional investment projects with a total registered capital of approximately 1,500 billion VND.

To ensure that the efforts to support and resolve difficulties for businesses continue to be truly effective, the province is focusing on implementing various solutions to further improve the investment and business environment and enhance competitiveness.

Along with that, there are policies prioritizing support for the strong development of the private economic sector and innovative startups; creating an equal environment in accessing resources among all business sectors and investors; promoting the deployment of information technology and digital transformation; and improving the quality of dedicated and competent officials and civil servants in serving and supporting businesses.   

Khoa Diem

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