Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh addresses the event.

Addressing the event, PM Chinh underlined the need for Gia Lai to continue to keep COVID-19 pandemic under good control, while quickly completing its planning to identify its own potential and competitive advantages, and speeding up the development of its strategic infrastructure system.

Gia Lai should continue to work hard with administrative reform, improve the quality of human resources, promote science-technology, innovation, diversify the supply chain and strengthen digital transformation and energy transition, he said.

The Government leader expressed his hope that investors will make effective investment and long-term business in the province, ensuring harmony of interests among businesses, people and the State.

He also asked ministries and sectors to coordinate with and create favourable conditions for Gia Lai to overcome difficulties, optimise its resources and promote its potential and strength for further development in a spirit of sincerity, trust and responsibility.

At the conference, Gia Lai called for investment in 112 projects in the 2022-2025 period, focusing on infrastructure construction, agro-forestry product processing, construction material, agriculture, forestry, trade, service and tourism.

In 2016-2020, the locality drew 515 projects worth 83 trillion VND (3.58 billion USD), five times higher in the project number and 36-time rise in capital from the previous five-year period.

In 2021, the province approved investment policy for 60 projects worth more than 29 trillion VND (1.25 billion USD). Investors are also proposing 172 other projects with a total investment of about 67 trillion VND. So far, many large Vietnamese and foreign groups have made their presence in Gia Lai with many large-scale projects.

According to Chairman of the People’s Committee of Gia Lai Vo Ngoc Thanh, as the gateway of the region, Gia Lai has become a centre for trade and services in the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam development triangle and an important connection point between the Central Highlands region and localities in the central and southeastern regions.

Gia Lai has a large farming area of 845,000 hectares, which is suitable for developing fruit trees with high economic value. It also boasts favourable conditions for industry, trade, especially processing and renewable energy.

Currently, the province has made planning for 21 industrial clusters, he said, adding that Gia Lai is in need of investment in high-tech agriculture, processing, renewable energy and tourism.

At the conference, PM Chinh witnessed the granting of investment policy decisions for 17 projects with a total investment of 15 trillion VND (647.38 million USD) and the signing of 29 memorandums of understanding with a total registered capital of more than 115 trillion VND (4.96 billion VND)./.