Monday, February 05, 2007
Stakeholders fast-track Eaga priorities
KOTA KINABALU -- Following the new direction pushed by state leaders of the East Asean Growth Area (Eaga) on the progress of sub-regional cooperation at Cebu Summit last month, the four governments in Eaga and the private sector are now moving to accelerate development in the identified priority areas.
Top-level government officials of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines met here this week with business community representatives.
The aim of the inter-sectoral meeting was to streamline vital projects in the sub-region.
Discussions at the meeting were brisk and candid. They focused on setting targets for the 4th BIMP-Eaga Summit to be held in November, and on defining roles for government and business in key sectors identified at the last Summit: agro-industry and natural resources, tourism, transport, infrastructure, and information and communication technology.
"Participants observed that there was close cooperation by the different clusters and working groups during the planning exercise," said Saiful Anuar Hussen, chair of the event and principal assistant director of Malaysia's Economic Planning Unit.
The meeting, which ended Tuesday, drew an unexpectedly large number of participants.
"This event addressed the leaders' specific requests and established clear deliverables for 2007 based on those requests," said Jacques Ferreira of the Asian Development Bank.
The bank is the regional development advisor for Eaga, and co-organized the meeting with the BIMP-Eaga Facilitation Center.
Officials point out that commitment to regional cooperation and continued improvements by their governments to the enabling environment have made the sub-region increasingly attractive to investors.
"Business recognizes the seriousness of the four governments in pushing Eaga," said Nazrullah Manzur, regional director of the Department of Trade and Industry.
"The private sector does its part by looking for investment opportunities and highlighting how governments can facilitate matters for them," said Ang Kian Guan, director of Transportation in Brunei Darussalam.
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Manila. For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (February 5, 2007 issue)
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