Conducting administrative reforms, improving the business and investment environment and enhancing the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) is defined as top priority tasks by leaders of Quang Ngai province. Accordingly, the province has focused on carrying out many consistent and drastic solutions to create an enabling working environment for businesses and investors.
Quang Ngai Provincial People's Committee organizes a meeting with businesses and investors on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2023.
In recent years, although Quang Ngai province has spent much effort on making its business investment environment better and more competitive, its PCI rankings remained low in the ranking list due to various reasons. According to the PCI 2021 released by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Quang Ngai province scored 62.97 points, ranked 45th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide, down 0.23 points and down 9 places over 2020. The province witnessed three component indices gain score and climb rankings (Access to land, Time cost and Business support services); two indices lose score but rise in the ranking (Market entry and Labor training), three indices rise in score but drop in rankings (Informal charge, Dynamism of the provincial government, and Legal and security institutions); and two indices gain score but decline in ranking (Transparency and Fair competition).
The PCI underperformance is attributed to poor outcomes of the business investment environment improvement as well as ineffective direction and administration of all levels and branches of government in carrying out the PCI Improvement Plan. Tasks assigned by the Provincial People's Committee were still carried out late and improperly. The coordination of relevant agencies, branches and localities was still weak.
By clearly defining existing difficulties and shortcomings, Quang Ngai province adopted radical solutions to overcome them and gradually improved and raised its PCI performance. To give a facelift to declining PCI component indices in 2021, the Provincial People's Committee directed departments, agencies and localities to introduce workable breakthrough solutions for this purpose. Most recently, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Dang Van Minh also signed to launch the Action Plan for implementation of main tasks and solutions to improve the business environment and enhance the competitiveness of Quang Ngai province in 2023.
In 2023, Quang Ngai will continue to strongly upgrade its business environment and competitiveness to adapt to development trends of the Fourth Industrial Revolution; speed up digital transformation in administrative agencies and localities; focus on raise underperforming scores to uplift the overall PCI Index standing. In 2023, Quang Ngai province aims to be a good performer in the PCI rankings, scoring over 65.5 points to stand among Top 20-25 provinces and cities.
Tran Thi My Ai, Director of the Quang Ngai Department of Planning and Investment, said, to achieve this goal, the Provincial People's Committee announced 25 main tasks and solutions and assigned specific tasks to relevant agencies, localities, Quang Ngai Business Association and Quang Ngai Young Entrepreneurs Association. Specifically, leaders of agencies, localities and associations are required to effectively direct implementation after plans were approved by competent authorities, including the Provincial Master Plan for 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050 and the adjustment to the Construction Master Plan for Dung Quat Economic Zone to 2045. At the same time, the provincial government directed, supervised and inspected the settlement of administrative procedures to create public and business satisfaction; enhanced the quality of coordination of relevant agencies in handling administrative procedures and responding to and definitively resolving recommendations proposed by enterprises, thus helping reinforce the trust of enterprises in the government system.
She said, upgrading the PCI performance is a race of the whole country and of localities against each other. All provinces and cities must strive for an open, healthy and transparent business and investment environment. Quang Ngai is also enthusiastically joining the race. Each department, branch and locality in the province upholds their determination, responsibility and effort to conduct reform and innovation in order to create an attractive business investment environment and build a level playing field for all economic sectors.
By Cong Luan, Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
