Efforts for Innovative PCI Improvements, Toward Service-oriented Administration

With a strong spirit, the Khanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee issued an action program for improvement of the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) and the Provincial Green Index (PGI) in 2024, in which it determined to thoroughly resolve bottlenecks for businesses.

In the PCI rankings in 2023, Khanh Hoa province scored 66.52 points to rank 34th out of 63 provinces and cities, down 18 places from 2022, failing to stay in the Top 30 in administration quality. In the Central coastal region, it ranked 6th out of 12 provinces and cities.

Provincial leaders believed that PCI ranking is the most important and objective measure of socioeconomic management quality. In 2024, the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People’s Council and the Provincial People’s Committee have resolutely issued and implemented resolutions, plans and projects to improve the investment climate and upgrade PCI. Particularly, to further raise the PGI Index, the province will focus on implementing tasks and solutions to minimize environmental pollution and negative impacts of climate change, ensure compliance with minimum environmental standards, and promote green practices.

While identifying prioritized tasks to be done first, the province must clearly understand the bottlenecks that cause PCI to drop in rank; maintain advancing indicators; and improve the indicators that do not reach expected outcomes. Khanh Hoa province will continue to shorten the time of handling administrative procedures, create transparency, reduce time costs and unofficial costs, and increase the attractiveness of the investment environment. It will effectively operate the Provincial Public Administration Service Center and single-window divisions in localities while robustly applying information technology and providing online public services of Level 3 and Level 4 for eligible administrative procedures.

At the same time, Khanh Hoa will urge investors to speed up infrastructure construction and create a favorable business environment to woo investors; and regularly monitor and update the performance of companies to provide answers and remove obstacles for them.

In particular, while necessarily promoting the “taking shortcuts to take the lead” investment attraction principle, Khanh Hoa province will not attract investment funds at all costs, but do it selectively. The locality will regularly host the "Business Coffee" program with business associations, business communities, investors and effectively handle recommendations within its authority; and apply the District and Department Competitiveness Index (DDCI). It will adopt business support policies and services in environmental protection and sustainable development.

Mr. Nguyen Tan Tuan, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, emphasized, “The PCI index is the ‘collective voice’ of the business community. This index also helps the province find the right direction to become a reliable destination for investors. This will then support general policymaking, resolve bottlenecks and select appropriate solutions to carry out economic management reforms in the most effective way. The province will be determined in its actions. In particular, the Khanh Hoa Green Growth Project for the 2024 - 2030 period will be carried out systematically with the support of domestic and international experts.

In these tasks, what the locality needs to do is to uphold the responsibility of leaders in implementing solutions and propose reward mechanisms to encourage good and effective practices. Besides, Khanh Hoa will seriously conduct research and strongly apply information technology to its management models and settlement of administrative procedures, helping enhance the satisfaction of people and organizations with the service of governmental administrative agencies, and expand appropriate forms of support and consultation for businesses and people. Khanh Hoa will strive to successfully execute the resolution of the 18th Provincial Party Congress (2020 - 2025 tenure) and achieve the goal of becoming a centrally run city by 2030.

Khanh Hoa is figuring out difficulties and challenges, forming plans with specific solutions and tasks and making efforts to implement them. With the right approach, we believe that more quality investment inflows to Khanh Hoa will continue to increase.

By Han Luong, Vietnam Business Forum