(MPI) - Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong hosted a reception for Aler Grubbs, Mission Director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for Vietnam in Hanoi on March 7.

At the reception. Photo: MPI

Deputy Minister Dong thanked USAID for collaborating with the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) in implementing the Improving Private Sector Competitiveness (IPSC), which aimed at supporting enterprises, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to improve their competitiveness in the international market.

The partnership of USAID with the private sector and pioneering enterprises has contributed to enhancing competitive capacity and encouraging the business community to innovate and increase autonomy.

The deputy minister asked USAID to continue coordinating with the MPI to introduce more specific policies and actions to expand the model of pioneering entrepreneurs, creating a positive impact for Vietnamese businesses to participate more deeply in global supply chains.

He also thanked USAID for supporting the Vietnam National Innovation Center (NIC) in implementing the USAID Workforce for an Innovation and Start-up Ecosystem (USAID WISE) programme during the 2021-2023 period, to train and improve the quality of Vietnamese human resources for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The initiative has reached many partners with a high level of dissemination, evaluated as effective and having a positive and noteworthy impact.

The ministry affirmed its commitment to coordinate with relevant agencies to create the most favorable conditions for joint projects to be implemented effectively, in accordance with regulations and overall direction of both sides.

For her part, Grubbs thanked the MPI for closely cooperating with USAID to implement numerous ODA projects, especially the IPSC project being carried out from 2020 to 2025. She also expressed her appreciation to the Vietnamese Government’ strong determination in supporting and enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnam’s private economic sector.

Furthermore, joint projects between the MPI and USAID have been implemented on schedule and achieved many positive results, such as addressing some challenges Vietnam faces in training a high-skilled workforce through the USAID WISE programme.

Grubbs shared that USAID will remains a partner of Vietnam in addressing significant challenges in economic development and the competitiveness of the private sector. She expressed her hope that both sides will soon resolve existing regulatory and institutional obstacles for the successful implementation of projects./.

Bao Linh

Ministry of Planning and Investment