INCREASED PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IN
ASEAN. Indonesian President Joko Widodo joins the
ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC)
at the opening ceremonies of the ASEAN Business
and Investment Summit at the Merdeka Presidential
Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia last September 1. ASEAN-BAC chair Arsjad Rasjid and Philippines chair
Joey Concepcion emphasized the importance of
strengthening private sector-government synergy
to promote economic growth in ASEAN. The ASEAN-BAC Philippines is leading efforts for agriculture
and MSME development.
[JAKARTA, September 02, 2023] – Increased collaboration between the private sector
and governments across
the ASEAN region is at
the center of the ongoing
ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (BIS) as
Indonesian President Joko
Widodo formally opened
the event last September
1, 2023 at the Merdeka
Presidential Palace in Jakarta Indonesia.
Arsjad Rasjid,
chairman of the summit’s
host, the ASEAN Business
Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), said that it is
ready to strengthen private sector–government
synergy to promote economic growth. “The ASEAN-BAC has provided policy recommendations from
each ASEAN country to be
considered as a strategy
to realize ASEAN as the
epicentrum of growth,” he
said.
A S E A N – B A C
Philippines, led by its
chairman Joey Concepcion,is hosting collaborative meetings and events
during the ASEAN BIS,
in support of the ASEAN
BAC’s emphasis on innovation and greater inclusivity towards its vision of
ASEAN centrality.
Concepcion said
that there will be greater
collaboration in agriculture
and MSME development
as initiatives which are
patterned after the Philippines’s Kapatid Angat
Lahat sa Agri Program
(KALAP) are set to have
parallel implementations
across the region with the
signing of several MOUs
with almost all of the ASEAN member-states. This
follows the successful
completion of Phase 2 of
the regional mentorship
program, ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs
Network (AMEN), which is
also a Philippine program
started during its chairmanship in 2017.
“Judging from the
conversations we’ve had
with the other delegates,
there is really a lot of complementary technologies
and skills that the ASEAN countries can share
via platforms like KALAP
and AMEN, especially in
areas of agriculture and
MSEs,” said Concepcion.
He added that this private sector cooperation
is further amplified when
private sector works with
the governments in the
region. “Working together, especially through our
agriculture and MSEs, will
ultimately help bring prosperity for all countries in
the region.”
The private sector-led ASEAN Business
Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) has provided
guidance and feedback to
boost the region’s efforts
toward economic integration.P
